Cheng Mingjiao had finally gotten his wish and entered his girlfriend’s room.
On the very first day at the hotel, he had upgraded everyone to suites identical to his own.
So Zhang Xiyue’s room was exactly the same as his in terms of layout, décor, and furniture.
And yet he always felt that the room in front of him was just a little better than his—better in every way.
It was probably because Zhang Xiyue was here.
Zhang Xiyue always smelled wonderful, and wherever she was smelled wonderful too.
Without needing an invitation from his girlfriend, Cheng Mingjiao naturally began inspecting her private domain.
When he saw the half glass of water on the table, he delivered an important lecture: “You should pour out unfinished water promptly. Otherwise, there’s a risk of bacteria multiplying.”
Zhang Xiyue had realized long ago that if you wanted to live a good life, you shouldn’t argue with the Emperor.
So, without explaining that she had poured the water before leaving and had only been letting it cool, she took it to the sink and emptied it.
When she came back out, Cheng Mingjiao asked, “Zhang Xiyue, did you open the bathroom window?”
“No,” Zhang Xiyue replied.
Cheng Mingjiao said, “You need to make sure the room gets some ventilation.”
Then, in order to prove that he was a considerate boyfriend, he walked into her bathroom of his own accord.
Ten seconds later, he came back out. His ears were red, but his expression remained composed. “Go open the window yourself.”
Zhang Xiyue raised an eyebrow. It was only after she entered the bathroom alone that she noticed the underwear she had changed out of the night before was still sitting in the laundry basket.
The Chaste Emperor must have seen it. That was the only reason he would have suddenly become shy.
Zhang Xiyue let out a quiet breath, opened the window a crack, and left the bathroom.
Cheng Mingjiao was waiting in front of the sofa. When he saw her come out, he didn’t issue any more instructions. His eyes merely kept drifting toward the mountain of clothes on the sofa.
They were the clothes Zhang Xiyue had washed and dried earlier. After bringing them in, she had tossed them there and hadn’t gotten around to sorting them.
Under the weight of his pointed stare, Zhang Xiyue smiled faintly and stuffed the clothes into her suitcase.
Cheng Mingjiao had originally intended for her to fold everything neatly. When she simply crammed the clothes in haphazardly, he immediately looked as though he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.
Seeing that he was still looking for something to criticize, Zhang Xiyue calmly cut him off. “President Cheng, weren’t you going to chat with me?”
Cheng Mingjiao paused, only then remembering why he had come to Zhang Xiyue’s room in the first place.
“Sit.” He went over and sat on the sofa first.
Under his watchful gaze, Zhang Xiyue sat down opposite him, knees pressed together and toes touching the floor, her back held in an elegant curve. She was so proper that it looked as though she were at a job interview.
The two of them sat across a coffee table, as if the Milky Way lay between them, divided by the hairpin of the Queen Mother of the West.
Cheng Mingjiao was dissatisfied with the distance between them, yet he also felt that Zhang Xiyue looked far too tense. After considering the matter for a moment, he asked, “Do you have any snacks?”
He normally didn’t eat snacks.
But Zhang Xiyue still nodded. “I do.”
The small refrigerator included with the hotel suite contained all kinds of snacks, available for guests whenever they needed a little something.
She grabbed several items and had just returned to the sofa when she saw that Cheng Mingjiao had already changed seats.
There were two sofas in the room: a square two-seater and a long three-seater.
Cheng Mingjiao had been sitting on the two-seater just moments ago. Now he had moved to the three-seater where she had been sitting.
“I accidentally spilled some water on it,” he said, pointing to the wet spot on the two-seater.
Zhang Xiyue followed the direction of his finger and glanced over. The puddle was not small; it had neatly soaked both seats.
She stared at the wet patch for several seconds, then looked back at Cheng Mingjiao.
Cheng Mingjiao was perfectly candid. “Zhang Xiyue, I was going to pour you a glass of water, but my hand slipped.”
What a pathetic excuse.
She didn’t call him out on it. Instead, she handed him the snacks and sat down beside him.
The highly elastic sofa dipped slightly under her weight, causing Cheng Mingjiao’s body to tilt with it. The next second, Zhang Xiyue’s fragrance drifted over him.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I want a drink too.”
Zhang Xiyue, who had only just sat down: “...”
The air suddenly became a little stifling. Unfortunately, Cheng Mingjiao was incapable of reading the room.
He even continued making demands. “Juice. No carbonated drinks.”
Zhang Xiyue smiled faintly. “All right. Please wait a moment.”
She stood up again, and the instant her back was to him, her expression went blank.
She opened the minibar once more and returned with several bottles of juice just as Cheng Mingjiao ended a call.
“Is there anything else you need?” Zhang Xiyue didn’t sit down right away.
Cheng Mingjiao said, “No. But wait by the door for a moment. I had someone bring over some wine.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
After looking at Cheng Mingjiao for a few seconds, she went to wait by the door.
The hotel staff arrived soon after, delivering two bottles of red wine along with a full set of wine tools on an elegant trolley.
Zhang Xiyue opened the door and took the trolley herself.
The staff member hurriedly said, “Ma’am, let us bring it in for you.”
“I can do it,” Zhang Xiyue said. Seeing the other person’s hesitation, she thoughtfully added, “I’m the assistant to the gentleman inside. I’m also staff.”
Upon hearing that, the staff member handed the trolley over to her.
Zhang Xiyue pushed it into the room and closed the door behind her.
“Mr. Cheng, your wine,” she said.
Cheng Mingjiao sat motionless on the sofa, signaling for her to bring it over.
Zhang Xiyue smiled and carried the wine over. She uncorked it, let it breathe, and poured it for him, providing the full range of service.
Once both wineglasses were filled, she walked around the coffee table toward the two-seater sofa.
Seeing her head that way, Cheng Mingjiao quickly reminded her, “The sofa’s wet.”
“It’s fine. I’ll sit on the floor.” After saying that, Zhang Xiyue sat down on the carpet in front of the sofa.
Cheng Mingjiao was silent for a few seconds before pushing one of the glasses of wine toward her.
A grown man inviting a grown woman into his room to talk, deliberately getting the sofa wet, and now offering her alcohol...
It was too obvious.
His intentions.
They were far too obvious.
This scumbag had been meeting alone with the heroine not long ago, his heart still fluttering over her, and now he was already making moves on his newly appointed girlfriend.
Zhang Xiyue picked up the wineglass and took a sip, wanting to see what else he would do.
Cheng Mingjiao was dissatisfied. “What, are you raising fish?”
With that impossibly refined face of his, he said something so down-to-earth that Zhang Xiyue couldn’t help laughing. She tipped back the glass and drained it in one go.
Only then was Cheng Mingjiao satisfied. He drank his own glass as well.
No matter what kind of alcohol it was, unless it had been loaded with sugar, the aftertaste was never pleasant. After finishing his drink, he frowned, immediately tore open a small packet of preserved plums, and took another sip of juice.
Only then did Zhang Xiyue realize that this was what snacks and juice were for.
She followed Cheng Mingjiao's example and opened a packet of snacks. But before she had eaten more than a couple of bites, Cheng Mingjiao poured her another glass of wine.
Zhang Xiyue was speechless for a long moment. Then she downed it in one go, and Cheng Mingjiao, sitting across the coffee table, drank a glass as well.
The two of them took turns drinking, and the two bottles of red wine were soon empty. Zhang Xiyue officially entered a pleasantly tipsy state.
Cheng Mingjiao watched as she went from sitting ramrod straight at the beginning to leaning completely against the sofa now, and a satisfied look spread across his face.
Fortunately, he had minored in psychology. He knew that the right amount of alcohol could help someone open up more quickly, which was why Zhang Xiyue had relaxed so soon.
He rose and walked around the obstructive sofa to Zhang Xiyue's side, where he noticed the water stains on the cushions and looked conflicted.
He had originally planned to invite Zhang Xiyue to sit with him on this sofa. But when he had been pouring the water earlier, he had accidentally spilled some on it, so he had moved to the three-seater instead.
He had not expected Zhang Xiyue to be so shy that she would feel embarrassed even sitting beside him on a three-seater. She had stubbornly chosen to sit on the carpet instead.
Cheng Mingjiao did not want to sit on the carpet, but for Zhang Xiyue's sake, he sat down anyway.
Zhang Xiyue ought to reward him.
Oblivious to the fact that she had just incurred a debt to someone without saying a word, Zhang Xiyue turned her head and propped her chin on her hand. “Mr. Cheng, now that we've finished the wine, can you tell me what you wanted to talk about?”
“We can.” Cheng Mingjiao nodded.
Zhang Xiyue turned slightly toward him, resting one arm on the sofa as she met his gaze with a smile.
She had drunk nearly an entire bottle of red wine. She was not drunk enough to lose control, but her whole body radiated a languid, post-drinking ease.
Cheng Mingjiao was the same. His eyes were still clear, but they had lost their usual sharpness. When he looked at someone, it seemed as though hidden hooks lurked in his gaze.
The top button of his lightweight summer shirt was undone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing forearms marked by prominent veins and exuding an indescribable sense of strength.
He was truly too handsome. His features and physique alike seemed almost like works of art.
After saying, “We can,” Cheng Mingjiao fell silent.
When she still did not receive another word from him, Zhang Xiyue decided to take the initiative and leaned a little closer, her voice low and soft. “Mr. Cheng…”
“After your parents passed away, what family do you have left?” Cheng Mingjiao suddenly asked.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
The ambiguous atmosphere vanished, while the person who had ruined it remained completely unaware.
And he even had the nerve to ask, “Why aren't you saying anything?”
After a brief silence, Zhang Xiyue asked, “You went to all this trouble from the moment you walked in just to ask me that?”
“Yes.” Cheng Mingjiao answered her question first.
While Zhang Xiyue had been speaking with that unfamiliar woman, he had suddenly realized that he knew only that Zhang Xiyue was very fond of him. As for Zhang Xiyue herself—her family, her circle of relationships—he knew nothing at all.
How could that be acceptable?
He and Zhang Xiyue had officially entered a relationship. Before long, they would be starting a family together. He had an obligation to gain a deeper understanding of his future wife, his partner, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
Cheng Mingjiao defended himself again. “I wasn’t just fooling around.”
He simply wanted to create a friendly atmosphere for conversation.
There was no better atmosphere than being pleasantly tipsy.
Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes were clear, his expression open and upright.
Zhang Xiyue, whose thoughts had wandered elsewhere: “...”
Seeing her fall silent again, Cheng Mingjiao’s brow twitched. “You don’t want to talk about it?”
He was a considerate boyfriend. If Zhang Xiyue didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t force her.
He would investigate in secret instead.
“It’s not that,” Zhang Xiyue said after clearing her throat. She quietly sat back down. “Both my parents were only children. My grandfather passed away when I was very young. After my parents died, I still had my grandmother and my maternal grandparents, but over the past decade or so, they’ve all passed away too.”
A clear look of shock crossed Cheng Mingjiao’s face. “Then you...”
“I don’t have any family left,” Zhang Xiyue said. She opened a bottle of juice and took a sip before continuing. “But there are still many people who treat me very well—my teachers, my academic advisor, my therapist, and the friends I grew up with. To me, they’re no different from family.”
After saying that, a faint smile touched her lips. “I haven’t called them in a long time. I really do miss them a little.”
Cheng Mingjiao was still dazed, but at her words, he immediately picked up the phone she had left on the carpet and handed it to her. “You can call them now.”
Zhang Xiyue stared at the phone for a few seconds, then smiled. “President Cheng, what about you?”
“...What?” Cheng Mingjiao asked, puzzled.
Zhang Xiyue said, “What’s your family situation like?”
She was asking on purpose.
Most people, after learning about her circumstances, would politely avoid the subject. Even if she brought it up herself, they would gloss over it, worried about rubbing salt into her wounds.
She didn’t want Cheng Mingjiao to keep pushing her to make those calls, so she changed the subject.
“My grandfather has passed away. My grandmother is still alive. My parents are alive too, but they’ve been abroad lately. I also have an aunt—she visited you when you were in the hospital, you know that. And there’s my uncle by marriage, a cousin I can’t stand, and another cousin who’s hopelessly obsessed with love. That’s it.”
Cheng Mingjiao gave a swift rundown of his family, then pushed the phone toward her again. “Go on. Call your friends, one by one.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
She had nearly forgotten—the Emperor was not an ordinary person.
“Call them,” he urged again. “Every last one.”
Zhang Xiyue had no choice but to take the phone. Under his expectant gaze, she opened her contacts.
Then she set the phone down again and changed the subject. “President Cheng, do you know what an adult man and woman are supposed to do after talking about their families?”
Thrown off by her interruption, Cheng Mingjiao forgot to urge her to make the calls.
“Do you know?” Zhang Xiyue asked with a curl of her lips.
Of course Cheng Mingjiao didn’t know.
But his pride, his intelligence, and his outstanding character would not allow him to admit it.
So he said, “Of course I do.”
Completely unaware that his face was practically screaming, “I have no idea.”
Zhang Xiyue shot him a sidelong glance and was just about to speak when Cheng Mingjiao solemnly pulled her into his arms.
They had been dating for less than forty-eight hours. They had already kissed countless times, yet they still hadn’t hugged.
Cheng Mingjiao clearly had no more experience than she did. His strong arms moved as though he were working through a rehabilitation exercise, making several awkward attempts before finally drawing her into his embrace.
His leg was in the way, and he had no idea where to put it. He could only kneel in an extremely awkward position. Even after tightening his arms around her, he still had to tug her up against him before he could manage to hold her properly.
Zhang Xiyue was in a daze. It wasn’t until her ear was pressed against his chest and she heard the clear beat of his heart that she managed to come back to herself. Her two aimless hands clenched in the fabric of his shirt.
His heartbeat grew faster and faster. His body was hot, though he wasn’t sweating. The faint scent of aftershave mingled with a subtle trace of cologne.
Zhang Xiyue was so used to treating him like an unreasonable emperor throwing a tantrum that she often forgot he was also a man with an overwhelming amount of sex appeal.
Her face seemed to grow hot as well. In a soft voice, she called, “Mr. Cheng.”
Cheng Mingjiao’s body went rigid, and his voice was even tighter. “...What?”
“Are you nervous?” Zhang Xiyue asked.
Cheng Mingjiao denied it immediately. “No.”
“But your heart is beating so fast.” Zhang Xiyue exposed him.
Cheng Mingjiao: “...”
“If your heart is beating this fast and you’re not nervous, then you may have an arrhythmia. I suggest you get yourself checked out...”
“Zhang Xiyue!” Cheng Mingjiao finally lost his patience and let go of her.
Zhang Xiyue continued to play innocent. “What?”
Cheng Mingjiao glared at her indignantly. “You really have no emotional intelligence.”
Zhang Xiyue: “Hahaha.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “...”
Seeing his expression only made Zhang Xiyue laugh harder.
Heaven knew she had only been teasing him on a whim. She hadn’t expected him to accuse her of having no emotional intelligence.
If anyone else had said that, she wouldn’t have felt a thing. But for some reason, hearing it from the Emperor made it especially hilarious.
Zhang Xiyue’s shoulders shook as she collapsed over the sofa, laughing so hard she couldn’t straighten up.
Cheng Mingjiao was both angry and embarrassed, yet he sat stiffly where he was instead of storming off as she had imagined.
Apparently, his tolerance for his girlfriend really was much higher than it was for his assistant.
After laughing for a while, Zhang Xiyue finally managed to calm down. When she looked at Cheng Mingjiao again, he was still silently sulking.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cheng. I was wrong.” Zhang Xiyue pressed her palms together and apologized with practiced ease. “I shouldn’t have laughed.”
Cheng Mingjiao gave her a cold look, clearly not about to let her brush this off so easily.
Zhang Xiyue smiled again, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek.
His eyelids twitched, but he still refused to acknowledge her.
Zhang Xiyue clicked her tongue softly, then straightened up on her knees and cupped his face in both hands. She kissed his forehead, then the tip of his nose, then his cheeks, covering his face in lipstick without ever touching his lips.
Cheng Mingjiao waited for a long time, but the kiss he wanted never came. He immediately abandoned his attempt to play hard to get, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace. Lowering his head, he kissed her on the lips.
For the second deep kiss of the day, Cheng Mingjiao had improved at an astonishing rate. As he pushed past Zhang Xiyue’s lips and teeth, he even gave her lip a small bite, as though punishing her.
Zhang Xiyue wished he would bite harder.
Summer in Yangcheng was pleasantly mild. Even without air-conditioning, the room did not feel hot. Yet the instant their bodies pressed together, the temperature kept climbing, drawing a thin, sticky sheen of sweat from their skin.
At first, they had been kissing while embracing. Though this healthy yandere had zero technique, brute force alone was enough to turn her world upside down.
Zhang Xiyue struggled to breathe and instinctively tried to retreat. But for every inch she withdrew, Cheng Mingjiao chased her another inch. Somewhere along the way, they went from kneeling to lying down, their positions shifting without either of them noticing.
The gap between the sofa and the coffee table was too narrow—so narrow that they could only overlap, one on top of the other.
Zhang Xiyue clutched Cheng Mingjiao’s shirt tightly. In her daze, she realized he had completely blocked her from view; she could not even see the ceiling.
“Mmh…”
A soft moan escaped her throat. Before she could lose control completely, she shoved at him with all her strength, only to find that he did not budge in the slightest.
…A yandere who worked out was terrifying.
Zhang Xiyue bent her knees awkwardly. Just as she was about to surrender completely, Cheng Mingjiao seemed to snap back to his senses and released her with visible difficulty.
They sat up in silence. One adjusted his pants; the other pulled her bra strap back into place. Both of them tried to steady their breathing.
Neither looked at the other.
After a long while, Cheng Mingjiao tossed out, “We leave at eight tomorrow morning,” then fled.
Zhang Xiyue watched his hurried figure disappear through the doorway. When she picked up her phone again, she caught sight of the upward curve of her lips in the black screen.
She immediately wiped the smile from her face, sat cross-legged on the floor, and opened her social media app.
None of her real-life friends were on the app, but there was a group of adorable coworkers. She had only been away from the chat, “What Exactly Does the Emperor Want?” for a few hours, and it already had over ninety-nine unread messages.
She opened the chat and began reading. Just as she was getting absorbed in the conversation, she suddenly received a text from an unfamiliar number.
*Is now a good time?*
Zhang Xiyue’s heart stirred. Instinctively, she knew it was the long-term client from the consulting website.
The site displayed her personal details and contact information, so anyone who had done business with her could obtain them automatically.
Ever since their last conversation, she had not logged into the site’s dashboard. Seeing this abrupt, contextless message now, Zhang Xiyue immediately opened her computer and signed in.
Sure enough, there were more than a dozen unread messages in the backend—all from him.
Client: Are you there?
Client: My company asked me to negotiate a project, but something feels off.
Client: Is there something wrong with this contract?
…
Client: I’m already at the partner company’s office.
Zhang Xiyue skipped over the contract and quickly read through the messages before replying: I’ll take a look now.
The client immediately showed as typing.
Before Zhang Xiyue had even finished reading, he sent another message: Thank you.
Zhang Xiyue took a sip of iced fruit juice to stay alert, then finished reviewing the rest.
Zhang Xiyue: I’ve looked it over. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong.
Client: But I still feel like something isn’t right.
Client: They’re explaining the contract terms right now.
After considering it for a moment, Zhang Xiyue tapped the unfamiliar text message and dialed the number.
The phone rang for barely a second before someone picked up. A young man’s cool, low voice came through the speaker. “Hello?”
“Hi,” Zhang Xiyue said offhandedly. “I’m calling from your property management office. Is now a good time to talk?”
There was silence for a few seconds. “Hold on.”
Then came a rustle of movement.
Zhang Xiyue guessed he was heading somewhere a little more private, so she waited patiently.
Two minutes later, he spoke again. “All right.”
“What feels off to you?” Zhang Xiyue asked.
“The terms they’re offering are too good. It’s like they’ve dug a hole just for me and are waiting for me to fall in.”
“Are you the only one from your company there? Is anyone from your team with you?”
He was quiet for a moment. “My team’s here, but they won’t help me. And I’m the only one signing.”
There was a lot packed into that short answer.
Zhang Xiyue didn’t press him. “If it really doesn’t feel right, don’t sign yet.”
“That’s the problem.” His voice through the phone was edged with coldness. “If it is a trap, I might be fine if I refuse to sign. But if I’m just imagining things, I’ll lose out on a partnership—and they’ll blame me for that, too.”
That made things difficult…
Zhang Xiyue thought it over, then asked, “Do you have Bluetooth earbuds?”
“…Yes.”
“Would it look strange if you suddenly put them on?”
“No,” he replied without hesitation.
Zhang Xiyue was surprised. “You’re sure?”
Earbuds were the least conspicuous option she could think of, but even then, someone could easily notice them.
Wouldn’t the other side get suspicious?
“I’m sure,” his voice came through the phone again. “I was already wearing them when I got here.”
Zhang Xiyue fell silent.
He certainly had nerve.
Since he’d been wearing the earbuds the whole time, putting them on wouldn’t raise any questions.
Zhang Xiyue smiled. “I’ll negotiate this partnership with you.”
“…Thank you.”
She switched her phone to speaker and turned the volume all the way up. While he was on his way back, she quickly splashed some water on her face.
By the time she got back to the phone, she heard someone say cheerfully, “You’re back, Young Mr. Chen.”
Young Mr. Chen.
Zhang Xiyue raised an eyebrow at the title.
Her client was clearly no good at small talk. He gave a brief acknowledgment, then got straight to business.
The two teams resumed discussing the project. Zhang Xiyue started recording on her phone and jotted down the key points one by one.
The more she wrote, the more something felt wrong.
Just as her client had said, the terms they were offering were almost too good to refuse. But the other side kept slipping in the same point, here and there: if the project failed, her client would bear all the losses.
He would be held personally responsible, not his company.
It sounded like a major project, and nobody wanted it to fail. But considering the contracts her client had shown her recently, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone would go so far as to waste a huge investment just to frame him.
After thinking it through, Zhang Xiyue began laying out the pros and cons for him while coaching him on how to handle the negotiations.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours. In the end, he still didn’t sign.
“If anyone tries to hold this against you, ask them when a company project became one person’s sole responsibility.” Zhang Xiyue sent him the recording, then added another reminder.
The client had already left the office building. Through the phone, she could hear the roar of traffic in the background.
He was not good with words. After a long pause, he finally said, “Thank you.”
Zhang Xiyue smiled. A flicker of curiosity rose in her. “Just what kind of person did you offend for them to go this far to screw you over? And didn’t you already leave the company? Why did you go back?”
She asked casually, not expecting him to answer. Yet after only a few seconds of silence, he told her the whole story.
Over the next half hour, Zhang Xiyue heard a remarkably dramatic tale of a wealthy family.
In short, the client had been born into a prominent family. He was the eldest son, but because his mother came from a poor background, she had never been accepted by the family, even after marrying his father.
If they could not accept his mother, they were even less likely to accept him.
Later, his parents’ relationship fell apart and they divorced. His mother left for another place, while his father remarried someone from an equally distinguished family and had more children.
His position in the family became even more awkward. At the age of ten, he moved out of the old family residence and was raised by a nanny. Over the years, aside from his grandmother, no one had cared much about him.
“I wasn’t fired before,” he explained. “I got injured, and they forced me to go home to recover. When Grandma found out, she made them let me return to the company.”
“So they’ve been deliberately setting traps for you, trying to fire you openly and legitimately. As long as you make a mistake, even your grandmother won’t be able to protect you. Is that it?” Zhang Xiyue took another sip of juice.
He seemed to still be on the road; the noise coming through the receiver was chaotic. “I’ve studied art all my life. I don’t know anything about running a company. They deliberately had the other employees isolate me, but they never expected me to look for help online.”
“You’re very smart,” Zhang Xiyue said.
From the sound of it, he had probably only graduated recently.
An art student in his early twenties, with little experience of the world, managing to hold on for so long in the face of such powerful people trying to set him up—he was genuinely impressive.
Perhaps hearing the sincerity in her praise, he did not know how to respond. He could only pretend not to have heard it. “Thank you for today.”
Zhang Xiyue’s lips curved into a smile. “My phone number is also my WeChat ID. Add me. If anything comes up in the future, just ask me directly. Even if we decide to quit, it should be because we don’t want the job anymore—not because they’ve found some excuse to fire us.”
There was a long pause on the other end. When he spoke again, his voice was much firmer. “You’re right. I won’t give up.”
Zhang Xiyue gave a soft sound of approval, then added, “I won’t charge you.”
A quiet laugh came through the phone, and at last he no longer sounded quite so lifeless.
“Okay.”
They ended the call, and Zhang Xiyue soon received a friend request.
Zhang Xiyue accepted the request and sent him her name.
The other side showed that he was typing.
A moment later, it went quiet again.
Then the typing indicator appeared once more.
Bored as she waited for his message, Zhang Xiyue decided she might as well focus and check her current mission progress.
Even though it was always zero whenever she looked, she still...
[Conquest Progress: 5%]
Zhang Xiyue slowly sat up straighter, then looked again in disbelief.
It really was five percent.
The progress bar, which had not budged since she had transmigrated into this novel world, had actually moved.
Why?
What had happened to make it suddenly change?
After thinking it over for a long time, Zhang Xiyue could only connect it to the kiss with Cheng Mingjiao earlier—the one that had nearly gotten out of control.
So, her existence as Cheng Mingjiao’s girlfriend did have some effect on him. A person only had so much attention to spare. The more of it she occupied, the less he would have to give the female lead.
If she took up all of his attention, he might not have the time to care about the female lead. Then he naturally would not get entangled with her, or be retaliated against by the male lead. And the conquest progress would start moving.
...So this approach could work?
Zhang Xiyue’s eyes lit up, and excitement filled her whole body. The next second, she received a new message: Chen Ming.
Chen Ming—probably the client’s name.
Zhang Xiyue repeated it to herself, then tossed her phone aside.
Early the next morning, she got up before eight. While all her colleagues were still asleep, she quietly pulled her suitcase behind her and slipped out of the hotel.
Cheng Mingjiao had risen even earlier than she had. By the time she came downstairs, he was already waiting outside.
The morning sun shone brightly. Cheng Mingjiao stood tall and elegant, his head lowered as he sent a message to the business-trip group chat: they were withdrawing from the project, and everyone’s bonus would be paid at twice the amount they would have received had the deal gone through.
Behind him stood a sleek pink sports car.
Zhang Xiyue’s good mood had carried over from last night into today, and seeing Cheng Mingjiao, she was willing to give him a friendly look.
Just as she was about to raise a hand in greeting, she spotted the car behind him. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she abandoned her suitcase to run over.
Zhang Xiyue circled the car several times before looking up. “President Cheng, is this your car?”
“No,” Cheng Mingjiao replied.
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
“If it isn’t mine, whose else could it be?” Cheng Mingjiao added leisurely.
Zhang Xiyue smiled. Dragging her suitcase over, she climbed into the car, ready to take it for a spin.
Seeing the excitement on her face, Cheng Mingjiao’s lips curved upward as well, though he feigned indifference. “Do you like it that much?”
“I love it,” Zhang Xiyue said, getting into the car and touching everything she could. “Owning a pink Ferrari has always been my dream.”
It was a dream—and also wishful thinking. With her salary, she would probably never be able to afford one in her lifetime.
Of course, if she completed her mission, she would definitely be able to afford it. But driving a car like this in a small county town would be far too conspicuous, so she would not buy one.
Thinking of that, she could not help touching it a few more times.
Cheng Mingjiao glanced at her and made a mental note: Once they got back, transfer the car into her name.
He wanted to make Zhang Xiyue’s dream come true.
“President Cheng, how did your car end up in Yangcheng?” Zhang Xiyue asked curiously.
Cheng Mingjiao gave her a look. “I had someone deliver it.”
Zhang Xiyue tilted her head.
Seeing her do that, Cheng Mingjiao couldn’t help but pause.
Why did Zhang Xiyue always act so spoiled around him?
He deliberately turned his face away. “We’re driving ourselves. We can’t exactly rent a car.”
This was the first time Zhang Xiyue had thought the Emperor’s pickiness was a good thing. She immediately placed both hands on the steering wheel. “Exactly. Renting a car would be beneath President Cheng’s standards.”
“Let’s go.” Cheng Mingjiao settled into the passenger seat and began giving directions.
Zhang Xiyue hit the gas and sped off.
Their first stop was a canyon rafting course.
Back in the real world, Zhang Xiyue had always loved going out with friends. She visited nearby places almost every month, and traveled farther afield during long holidays.
Since arriving in this novel’s world, this was her first time taking a trip. Granted, she was traveling with her boss...
But their identities had changed. She was no longer just his assistant—she was also his girlfriend. Once two adults became more physically intimate, many boundaries naturally began to loosen, so getting along was somewhat more comfortable than before.
They spent three days at the Grand Canyon. During that time, Zhang Xiyue gradually realized that Cheng Mingjiao’s tolerance for her had already increased dramatically.
Their relationship had been established for an utterly absurd reason, but he really was starting to act like a boyfriend.
Over those few days, they had kissed many times. On several occasions, if the interior of the sports car hadn’t been so cramped, they probably would have gone beyond kissing.
After kissing once again in the confined car, Zhang Xiyue climbed off Cheng Mingjiao and collapsed weakly against the driver’s seat.
Cheng Mingjiao’s shirt was a mess, three buttons undone, and the Mercedes emblem was covered in lipstick.
He glanced at Zhang Xiyue, dissatisfied, and thought that he shouldn’t have had someone send over a sports car in the first place.
He should have sent an SUV.
But then he remembered that the pink sports car had been Zhang Xiyue’s dream, and decided that the sports car was still the better choice.
Zhang Xiyue took a sip of water. Once she had rested enough, she checked the progress bar again, only to find that it was still at five percent.
After the first increase, the number had refused to budge no matter how intimately she interacted with Cheng Mingjiao.
But Zhang Xiyue wasn’t in a hurry. Being affectionate with Cheng Mingjiao required no adjustment—only enjoyment.
After rafting, the two of them visited a nearby fishery, then took a detour to a famous scenic attraction.
Since it was the weekend, the hotel had to be booked in advance. Zhang Xiyue pulled the car over and began choosing a room after selecting the hotel.
Cheng Mingjiao watched the page on her phone. Just as she selected two rooms with scenic views and was about to make the payment, he casually pointed to another room type. “This room looks good too. The bed is large enough for two people.”
Considering that Zhang Xiyue wasn’t always the sharpest person, his hint was exceedingly obvious.
It wasn’t that he absolutely had to share a room with Zhang Xiyue. But after spending these past few days together, he could tell that she seemed to have an unusually strong desire for his body. She simply kept slamming on the brakes at the last moment because she was too shy.
If this continued, it might affect her hormonal balance.
So he had a reason to take the initiative.
Although reaching that final step only a few days into their relationship was a little fast, they were going to get married anyway. In truth, there wasn’t much difference between doing it on the first day and doing it ten years later.
“What do you think?” He tried to make his suggestion a little more obvious.
Zhang Xiyue clicked in to take a look. It did seem pretty good, so she chose two rooms.
Cheng Mingjiao: “…”
He remained silent all the way to the hotel.
Zhang Xiyue was already used to his mercurial moods, so she paid him no mind.
By the time they reached the hotel, Cheng Mingjiao had cheered up on his own. When Zhang Xiyue took out the luggage, he even took the initiative to help.
Zhang Xiyue handed him one of the suitcases, and the two of them walked toward the hotel together. They had just reached the entrance when they ran into Gu Feng and Qing Tian.
The four of them came face-to-face, and the same phrase popped into all their minds at once: They were like ghosts who refused to go away.
“President Cheng didn’t get the contract, yet he still has the mood to come out and have fun?” Gu Feng was the first to attack.
Cheng Mingjiao gave him an arrogant look. “President Gu got the contract, so why haven’t you hurried back to work? Aren’t you worried Li Qianshan might change his mind?”
The tension between the two men was thick enough to cut with a knife. Qing Tian edged closer to Zhang Xiyue and lowered her voice. “Why did you two pull out?”
“It wasn’t profitable, so we quit.” After answering, Zhang Xiyue remembered how Li Qianshan had been calling her nonstop for the past two days, only for Cheng Mingjiao to turn around and block him on her behalf. She asked in a small voice, “Did you two give up too?”
Qing Tian was startled by her perceptiveness and nodded. “Gu Feng said that if you weren’t doing it, he wouldn’t do it either.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
There probably weren’t many companies in the entire country capable of taking on a contract like this. With both of these companies dropping out, Li Qianshan would probably have a hard time finding a third.
Zhang Xiyue pursed her lips. The next second, Cheng Mingjiao looked in her direction.
She immediately took two steps forward, blocking his line of sight. “President Cheng, let’s go check in first.”
Cheng Mingjiao was about to say something, but she simply grabbed him and pulled him away.
Zhang Xiyue only wanted to keep him away from Qing Tian. Unfortunately, just as they reached the front desk, Qing Tian and Gu Feng arrived too.
While Zhang Xiyue was checking in, Qing Tian’s angry voice rang out. “Five minutes ago, you said on the phone that you still had rooms available. How come they’re suddenly gone now?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We do still have one vacant room. We just didn’t expect you to need two.” The receptionist sounded extremely apologetic.
Cheng Mingjiao turned toward the voices.
Zhang Xiyue picked up a mint from the counter. “President Cheng, have a mint.”
Cheng Mingjiao pressed her hand down, his attention still fixed on the others.
“President Cheng, how about—”
“We’ll give one of our rooms to you,” Cheng Mingjiao suddenly said.
Gu Feng and Qing Tian both looked over.
Qing Tian’s face lit up. “Really?”
Cheng Mingjiao nodded calmly. “Yes, really.”
“President Cheng is being this kind?” Gu Feng was suspicious.
Cheng Mingjiao didn’t seem bothered by his rudeness. “When you’re away from home, you should help each other out.”
Gu Feng stared at him for several seconds. Unable to think of any downside to the offer, he hesitated briefly before thanking him.
Cheng Mingjiao waved it off and turned back toward Zhang Xiyue.
Zhang Xiyue’s expression was blank, but her face clearly said she was delighted.
