Nighttime, the bedroom.
The sound of running water trickled from the bathroom—Feng Yan was showering.
Sang Lu sat by the bed, lost in thought.
She felt she had done exceptionally well today!
Her relationship with Feng Yan had taken a significant step forward.
All thanks to her willingness to "seek advice humbly."
But it was too early to celebrate.
She had to plan ahead.
She pulled out a brand-new notebook.
And wrote deliberately—
[Remember: Build a good relationship with Feng Yan!]
If she were ever controlled by the plot again, perhaps seeing this note would snap her back to reality.
The good news was, Feng Yan had said he didn’t find her annoying.
That was a friendly signal.
A sign of acceptance.
She intended to keep pushing forward, making their relationship more natural and harmonious.
In the bathroom, the water stopped.
Sang Lu swiftly tucked the notebook away.
And slipped under the covers.
Three months into their marriage, they shared a bed but kept to their own sides, like two rivers that never crossed.
At first, she had found it a little strange, but over time, she realized Feng Yan barely moved in his sleep—so still it was as if he wasn’t even there. Gradually, she forgot about the discomfort.
Sang Lu decided to wake up early the next day, using those morning moments to bridge the gap between them.
Snuggling deeper into the blanket, she closed her eyes with a determined smile.
...
The next morning.
Sang Lu woke up half an hour earlier than usual.
Rubbing her eyes, she saw the impeccably suited man standing sideways, fastening his wristwatch.
Once done, he turned toward the bedroom door.
Sang Lu sprang up like a carp leaping from water.
Hearing the noise, Feng Yan glanced back.
Their eyes met.
Sang Lu’s naturally curly hair was slightly tousled from sleep.
She hastily smoothed it down.
Just as she was about to greet him with a cheerful "Good morning!"—
Snap—
The door closed.
Feng Yan had turned and left.
Without so much as an extra glance.
Just… walked away!?
Staring at the shut door, Sang Lu ruffled her hair again:
"Ughhh, I still woke up too late!"
Outside.
Feng Yan hadn’t gone far.
Hearing the commotion from the room, his steps paused briefly.
A flicker of something unreadable passed through his cold, dark eyes.
But it vanished just as quickly.
The next second.
He lowered his gaze indifferently and strode off.
Though she hadn’t succeeded in using those morning moments to get closer, she consoled herself—at least her self-awareness was intact!
As long as she wasn’t stripped of that, there would be plenty of opportunities.
That in itself was good news~
In high spirits, Sang Lu got ready for work.
She worked as an assistant producer at the TV station.
Her daily tasks were mundane—tagging along with senior producers for shoots, attending press conferences, guiding artists through rehearsals, or staying in the office to draft show proposals and organize footage.
Today, she didn’t have any outdoor assignments. Passing by the convenience store downstairs, she grabbed an onigiri for breakfast.
The store was running a Friday promotion—buy an onigiri or sandwich, add a drink for just one yuan extra. She picked up a carton of yogurt with a fresh expiry date.
The moment she reached her desk, her colleague Yu Xiaoke wailed dramatically:
"Sang Lu, you’re eating just an onigiri again? How can someone so slim eat so little? You’re making us slightly chubby folks feel terrible! I swear, competing with beauties like you is the death of me!"
With that, she tossed a bag of nuts at Sang Lu.
"Eat! You better eat it!"
Sang Lu caught it effortlessly, grinning.
"Thanks for the snack~"
Another colleague across the way, brewing floral tea, chimed in:
"Little beauty Sang, come over here! I just made some five-red tea—great for replenishing qi and blood. Have a cup!"
Since childhood, the most common compliment Sang Lu received was "little beauty."
Her features were striking yet soft—rosy lips, fair skin, and a lively cheerfulness that made people feel good just looking at her. As a result, she got along well with everyone wherever she went.
The office atmosphere was harmonious, her salary stable, and though work could get busy, it was fulfilling.
Deep down, Sang Lu considered herself incredibly lucky.
No nightmare boss, no difficult coworkers.
Her dreams were simple.
Safety, health, and getting filthy rich.
Right now, as long as she tread carefully, avoided the path of becoming "universally disliked," and maintained a harmonious relationship with that ice block of a husband…
It seemed like her life’s dreams were already within reach~
...
Feng Corporation headquarters.
The work atmosphere here was a stark contrast to the TV station.
9:30 AM.
Department heads filed into the CEO’s office to report project progress with clockwork precision.
By 11:00 sharp.
Fang Assistant knocked and entered, placing the afternoon’s meeting schedule neatly on the desk.
Under the leadership of Feng Yan—a man who operated like a precision instrument—every employee at Feng Corporation worked with flawless efficiency, not daring to deviate even slightly.
Three years ago, Feng Yan had officially taken over the company.
At first, there had been murmurs of doubt from the board.
But as he expanded the corporation’s reach, swallowing rival enterprises one after another, the skepticism faded.
Yet the man at the center of power remained perpetually solemn and composed.
As if, being the helm of Feng Corporation, he had to remain eternally rational, eternally correct—flawless, so no one could criticize him.
He was a mute, a shame to his family.
So the only way forward was to work relentlessly, becoming the family’s "veil of honor," leaving no room for reproach.
And he had succeeded.
His ambition and methods were laid bare for all to see.
Now, when people spoke of Feng Yan, rather than lamenting "what a pity he can’t speak," they led with "what an extraordinary man."
Noon.
During a quick break, Guan Shiqing stole a glance toward the CEO’s office.
Sang Lu had mentioned yesterday that Feng Yan was back in the city, so Guan Shiqing had spritzed on her new perfume.
If she was lucky enough to cross paths with him, she wanted to leave an impression.
Lost in thought, her eyes suddenly widened.
Feng Yan’s tall, imposing figure appeared at the end of the hallway.
Guan Shiqing straightened her clothes nervously, pressing herself against the wall to make way.
Feng Yan walked briskly, Fang Assistant trailing behind, briefing him on work matters.
As his figure swept past, the air around them seemed to grow heavier. Guan Shiqing’s heart raced.
But until he disappeared from sight, his gaze never once flickered in her direction.
Her shoulders slumped.
The thought that the man she could barely catch a glimpse of was someone Sang Lu could see whenever she wanted filled her with resentment.
Why?
She had graduated from a prestigious international university, was highly competent at work, and wasn’t bad-looking either.
In what way was she inferior to Sang Lu?
Biting her lip, Guan Shiqing pulled out her phone.
...
A buzzing vibration jolted Sang Lu awake from her nap.
Opening her phone, she saw a message from Guan Shiqing:
[Guan Shiqing: Want to grab BBQ tonight? Found a place with great reviews.]
A few days ago, Sang Lu would’ve agreed without hesitation, naively believing she’d made a like-minded friend—she loved BBQ, after all.
But now she knew better.
Guan Shiqing had an agenda.
Almost every time she invited Sang Lu out, it coincided with Feng Yan being in the city.
Clearly, she didn’t want Sang Lu spending more time with him.
Sang Lu wasn’t about to be played for a fool again.
She replied: [Can’t. Already have plans.]
Not confrontational—she wanted to maintain adult decorum, letting the friendship fade naturally until they stopped interacting.
But then—
Her phone buzzed again.
[Guan Shiqing: Lu Lu, I’m feeling really down today. I really need someone to talk to. Can you cancel your plans and keep me company? [crying][sad]]
Being woken from a nap was annoying enough, but seeing Guan Shiqing's attempt to manipulate her sympathy with those calculated words made it even worse.
So damn irritating.
Too tired to bother with subtlety, she fired off a single character in reply:
["Scram."]
Exited the chat. Deleted the contact.
All in one smooth motion.
Then buried her face back into the pillow.
But just as she settled in, her curly head popped up like a spring.
Blinking dazedly at the ceiling.
Sang Lu looked adorably confused.
Now that it was mentioned… she did kind of crave barbecue.
Suddenly, her eyes sparkled with an idea.
She grabbed her phone.
Reopened the WeChat conversation.
-
Feng Corporation Headquarters.
Conference Room.
Feng Yan was listening to the real estate division's development plans for their newly acquired land.
His phone lit up on the table.
A distracted glance.
The screen displayed—
Five rapid-fire messages:
["Sang Lu: Hellooo there ฅ•ᴗ•ฅ"]
["Sang Lu: What time are you off work?"]
["Sang Lu: Dinner together? (My treat!)"]
["Sang Lu: How about some barbecue?"]
["Sang Lu: Sneaky-peeky dog stare.ipg"]
The tone was familiarly chatty, borderline rambling.
Complete with bizarre animated stickers.
The man froze momentarily, caught off guard.
