He wants to adopt a younger sister, but his aloof wife disagrees.

Tuesday afternoon.

The rooftop sunroom at Tomson Riviera has been temporarily converted into a fitness training room.

A thick yoga mat was laid out in front of a huge floor-length mirror. The air was filled with a faint scent of lavender essential oil.

"No...it's going to break! My back is going to break!"

A scream, tinged with sobs, rang out.

Su Xiaoruan was wearing a tight-fitting black yoga outfit, which perfectly outlined her figure, which was not yet fully developed but was already beginning to take shape. At this moment, she was lying on the ground, trying to do an extremely inhuman backward bend—the classic posture of the Green Snake when she transformed in the movie, which required the spine to be as flexible and boneless as a snake.

"It can't be broken."

Jiang Che, dressed in loose sportswear, stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder and the other supporting her lower back, his tone stern yet gentle:

"The Green Snake is a demon, and demons have no bones."

"Your movements are too stiff right now, like a zombie, not a snake."

"But brother...it hurts so much..." Su Xiaoruan turned around with tears in her eyes, sweat sliding down her cheeks. Her pitiful appearance would have softened anyone else's heart.

But Jiang Che remained unmoved.

In order to make "Green Snake" a classic, he had to be ruthless towards her.

"Do you want to win Best Actress?" Jiang Che asked.

"think……"

Want to shut up those who look down on you?

"think!"

"Then just bear with it."

Jiang Che applied slight pressure, helping her lower her waist even further, while leaning forward slightly and whispering guidance in her ear:

"Close your eyes."

"Imagine your legs coming together, transforming into a long snake tail."

"You are cool, you are smooth, you must use your waist to wrap around, to be alluring..."

Guided by Jiang Che's magnetic voice, Su Xiaoruan's breathing gradually became steady. She felt Jiang Che's warm and strong hand, which was her only point of support.

Gradually.

Her posture in the mirror had changed.

It was no longer a stiff imitation, but a languid charm that emanated from her very being. Her waist swayed gently with her breath, like a beautiful snake just awakened from sleep.

The impact of that blend of pure desire and alluring charm is simply irresistible.

"well done."

Jiang Che released his grip, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Su Xiaoruan instantly deflated, collapsing onto the carpet and panting heavily, like a salted fish whose tendons had been pulled out:

"Phew... I'm exhausted... This isn't acting, it's like practicing acrobatics!"

"Clap clap clap".

A round of applause came from the doorway.

Shen Qingge leaned against the doorframe, holding an iced Americano in her hand. Her gaze swept over Su Xiaoruan's sweat-drenched curves, finally settling on Jiang Che, a half-smile playing on her lips.

"Director Jiang, that's quite a move."

"They trained us to achieve that 'snake waist' that we couldn't get even after training ourselves to the point of death in just a few minutes."

She walked in, her high heels making a crisp sound on the floor.

"but……"

Shen Qingge walked up to Jiang Che, reached out and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, her voice soft and gentle:

"Was that gesture of supporting her waist just now a little...too intimate?"

"In the script, Xu Xian wasn't this gentle with Xiao Qing."

Jiang Che grabbed her hand, kissed it lightly, and remained expressionless.

"That's called art direction."

"And speaking of the waist..."

Jiang Che's gaze followed the waistline of Shen Qingge's fitted business suit downwards, a mischievous smile playing on his lips:

"Mr. Shen, have you been lacking exercise lately? I noticed your back seemed a bit stiff when you walked earlier?"

"How about... I give you a private lesson tonight? To work on your flexibility?"

Shen Qingge blushed, instantly understanding his implication.

"rogue!"

She pulled her hand back and glared at him coquettishly, but the slight sourness she felt because of Su Xiaoruan was instantly washed away by his lewd remark.

"Alright, stop joking around."

Shen Qingge glanced at the clock on the wall, and her expression suddenly became somewhat unnatural.

She coughed and asked, seemingly casually:

"Um... what's the date tomorrow?"

Jiang Che was taken aback and glanced at his phone: "October 20th? What's wrong?"

Shen Qingge's eyes lit up instantly, filled with anticipation.

10 month 20 number.

That was her birthday.

In previous years, even though she was busy with work and wouldn't celebrate her birthday, Jiang Che (the original owner of this body) would still cook her noodles. But now, Jiang Che is spoiling her so much; he must have prepared a big surprise, right?

"Um..." Shen Qingge tidied her hair, hinting, "Tomorrow is Wednesday, and I specifically canceled all my evening schedules. There's nothing much going on at the company."

She is waiting.

Wait until Jiang Che says something like, "Tomorrow is your birthday, let's go celebrate" or "I've prepared a candlelight dinner for you at home."

however.

Jiang Che simply nodded and said calmly:

"Oh, it's good that you postponed your trip. I've been too tired lately, so I should come back and rest soon."

"Han Xiao said he wants to review the Zhao's Real Estate acquisition tomorrow, so I might be back a little late."

"..."

The air froze instantly.

Shen Qingge's expectant expression froze, then cracked little by little, finally transforming into a chilling current of "grievance" and "anger".

Will you be back later?

A review of the acquisition?

He actually... forgot?!

Even the simple-minded Su Xiaoruan noticed something was wrong. She stared wide-eyed at Jiang Che, desperately trying to make faces: "Brother! Tomorrow is my sister's birthday! How could you let me down at this time?!"

Jiang Che seemed blind, completely ignoring Su Xiaoruan's hints, and even yawned:

"Well, Xiao Ruan, keep practicing. Do this set of exercises fifty more times. I'm going to the study to deal with some emails."

Done.

This guy really turned around and left!

gone!

"Jiang! Che!"

Shen Qingge stared at that heartless back, so angry that the coffee cup in her hand trembled.

She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and turned to face Su Xiaoruan, forcing a smile that was more like a grimace:

"Practice! Practice like crazy!"

"No food until you've mastered the skills!"

After saying that, she stomped back into the master bedroom in her high heels and slammed the door shut.

Su Xiaoruan lay on the ground, on the verge of tears.

"What terrible things have I done..."

"When gods fight, little devils suffer... Waaaaah..."

……

Inside the study.

The moment the door closed, the indifference on Jiang Che's face vanished instantly, replaced by a triumphant, wicked smile.

"Forgot?"

"How could I forget?"

Jiang Che opened the drawer and took out a beautifully crafted velvet box that had been prepared beforehand.

That was a necklace he had specially purchased at an auction with the money he made from shorting the Zhao family's stock. It was a top-grade blue diamond rough called "Heart of the Ocean," which he designed himself and had a master cut into it.

Valuable.

But this is only part of the gift.

The real surprise is tomorrow night.

"Mr. Shen, don't be so quick to get angry."

Jiang Che looked at the blue diamond in the box and murmured to himself:

The greater the disappointment now, the more unforgettable the surprise tomorrow night will be.

"Since we're going to live off a woman, we can't be conventional when it comes to birthday celebrations."

He picked up his phone and dialed the number of the general manager of MixC World:

"Hey, Lao Li."

"The mall will be cleared out tomorrow night at 8 PM."

"Also, are the hundreds of drones I requested ready?"

"very good."

"This time, I'm going to let the whole of Jianghai City know."

"Shen Qingge is my woman."

……

That night, the atmosphere at Tomson Riviera was frighteningly low.

At the dinner table, Shen Qingge remained silent, only poking at the rice in her plate, her eyes so cold they could freeze someone to death.

Su Xiaoruan buried her head in her food, barely daring to breathe.

Jiang Che, however, acted as if nothing had happened and even put a piece of pork rib on Shen Qingge's plate.

"Eat more, you've lost weight recently."

"I'm not eating! I'm on a diet!" Shen Qingge threw the ribs back and said coldly.

Jiang Che wasn't annoyed. He smiled and ate it himself.

Seeing this, Su Xiaoruan secretly kicked Jiang Che under the table.

Brother! You need to be more careful!

If this continues, you might not even get to sleep in the master bedroom tonight; you might be kicked out of your home and become a homeless person!