The young lady hired me to help her and the young master have an online romance.

Jiang Wan's fingertips hovered over the keyboard, pausing for two seconds.

Nice Rabbit Squid: [I'll send it to you tomorrow morning]

She didn't know what her motivation was for typing those five words.

Perhaps fearing he would ask to meet tonight, she quickly changed the subject.

Or perhaps it was the thrill of that brief moment when it popped up.

Jiang Wan didn't want to think about it too much.

Upon seeing the reply, Shang Shixu's gloom vanished.

Lie: [Okay]

Lie: [Get some rest, I'll wake you up tomorrow morning]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Mmm, goodnight]

Lie: [Peace]

In the short span of four or five minutes, Shen Che glanced at Jiang Wan three or four times.

Although I can't see what's on the screen, I still have a bad feeling.

As soon as Jiang Wan put away her phone, he couldn't wait to start a conversation.

"Wanwan, thank you for today."

Jiang Wan glanced at him sideways, "You're welcome. Brother Che has helped me before too."

"So Wanwan is repaying a favor?" Shen Che teased.

Jiang Wan smiled politely and did not deny it.

The atmosphere in the carriage changed slightly.

Shen Che's smile faded, replaced by a probing tone, "If it weren't for that favor, would you still have agreed to tonight's request?"

The night view of Haicheng flashed past the car window frame by frame.

The heart inside the chest cavity was pounding.

He was looking forward to hearing her affirmative answer.

Jiang Wan pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and then looked up again after a moment. "Brother Che, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Of course it's the truth."

The truth is—no.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Che blinked, his expression remaining unchanged.

The hand resting on his knee slowly curled up, his thumb grinding hard against his index finger.

Why?

His tone was flat.

Jiang Wan organized her thoughts and answered carefully.

"Although tonight is a private party with no media, Brother Che is a celebrity and is in the rising phase of his career."

"I imagine the company doesn't want you to have any scandals."

"So I pretended to be your girlfriend, seemingly just to help you with a small favor, but behind the scenes I had to bear the risk of being exposed."

Jiang Wan paused at this point.

"I don't want my life to be disturbed, and I don't want to see Che Ge's career suffer setbacks."

"Therefore, I wouldn't have agreed without that favor."

Shen Che looked a little embarrassed.

Every word she said hit the nail on the head; it wasn't an accusation, but it was just as effective.

I thought tonight would be a win-win situation.

This would both bring her closer and make Bai Kerou back down.

Unexpectedly, in her eyes, this was nothing more than "returning a favor".

A wave of annoyance washed over Shen Che, and he began to try to salvage the situation.

"I'm sorry, it was Che-ge's oversight."

"Consider the dress you're wearing a small apology."

"From now on, I won't bring up anything that would make things difficult for you."

Jiang Wan looked down at the dress. "I appreciate Che-ge's kindness, but I have no occasion to wear such a nice dress, and I have nowhere to put it."

"It's a real shame to leave it here; let's keep it in the styling studio."

Shen Che opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded.

He felt that there was an invisible wall between him and Jiang Wan.

This wall was formed after the last incident at Yunshang Club.

In her eyes, he was no longer the sunny and kind boy next door he used to be.

Now, it will take some effort to break down this wall.

It's okay, he has plenty of patience.

The car stopped in front of the styling studio.

Jiang Wan went inside to change out of her dress and put on her own clothes.

The purple princess dress was hung back on the human clothes hanger.

The butterfly lay there quietly, waiting for the next destined person to awaken it.

*

Sunday, 6:30 a.m.

"Buzz—"

The phone next to my pillow vibrated.

Jiang Wan reached out and touched it, squinting as she looked at it.

Lie: [Are you awake?]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Just woke up]

Lie: [Get up and get ready. I'll be at the South Gate in twenty minutes.]

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Good]

Jiang Wan put down her phone and yawned widely.

I sat up in bed, stared blankly for two minutes, and then slowly woke up.

On the opposite bed, Zhou Feiyan was still asleep.

Jiang Wan quietly got out of bed to wash up.

Ten minutes later, she changed into yesterday's white tracksuit and tied her hair into a low ponytail in front of the mirror.

Looking at my clean face, I decided not to wear red spot makeup today.

I'm just going to see him off; I'll be back soon.

Jiang Wan put on a mask and sunglasses, slung her small bag over her shoulder, and went out.

......

South gate of S University.

A black Rolls-Royce was discreetly parked in the open space.

The rear window was open, revealing a superior profile.

The man was wearing a black hoodie, and his silver-black hair was unkempt.

Stray hairs casually fell across her forehead, giving her an air of nonchalant coolness.

It's like a sword that hasn't been drawn from its sheath.

Jiang Wan's eyes met his, and her breath hitched.

Good morning!

She greeted everyone casually, opened the car door, and bent down to get in.

The partition blocked the driver's view in the front, leaving the back seat as a small world for two.

The car started quickly and drove onto the main road.

Shang Shixu placed a package on the small table in front of her, gesturing for her to open it.

Jiang Wan opened the bag with a puzzled look and found a wooden lunchbox, a cutlery box, and a bottle of grapefruit juice inside.

She took out the lunchbox, opened the lid, and her pupils dilated.

wow~

Inside the box, three rows of different foods were neatly arranged.

A row of sushi in different flavors.

A row of golden and crispy fried shrimp balls.

A row of preserved radish tamagoyaki.

Each one looks absolutely delicious, making one's mouth water just by looking at them.

"Breakfast for me?" Jiang Wanxing's eyes lit up.

"Um."

After he finished speaking, he pulled out a black eye mask from somewhere, put it on his eyes, and leaned back in his chair in a rather languid manner.

"I'm going to take a nap."

Jiang Wan held the hard wooden lunchbox, her heart softening.

She smiled slightly and took off her sunglasses and mask with a sense of relief.

I took out my chopsticks from the lunchbox, picked up a fried shrimp ball, and took a bite.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the shrimp meat is bouncy and the seasoning is delicious.

"Is it good?" Shang Shixu's voice rang out from the side.

"Delicious!"

After Jiang Wan finished speaking, she stuffed the remaining half into her mouth.

"My mom made it."

The chewing motion paused.

what?

Did Shang Shixu's mother make it?

Jiang Wan swallowed the food in her mouth, grabbed a juice, and quickly praised, "Auntie's cooking is so good!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and took a sip of juice.

"She wants to see you."

"Cough cough—!"

Jiang Wan swallowed half of her juice, which got stuck in her throat.

She covered her mouth and coughed violently, her face turning bright red.

Hearing the noise, Shang Shixu sat up abruptly and reached out to touch her back and pat her.

Jiang Wan coughed for a full minute before she recovered.

She picked up the juice, took a small sip, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and asked eagerly, "So, what's your answer?"

Shang Shixu withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and spoke in a somewhat casual tone.

"How do you want me to answer?"

The ball was kicked out.

Jiang Wanqing cleared her throat and spoke softly.

I think...

"We're only going to talk for two months, there's no need to meet each other's parents."

The carriage was silent for a moment, then Shang Shixu's extremely cold and hard voice rang out.

"You're not qualified to see him even if you want to."

Jiang Wan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded obediently, "I know, don't worry, I didn't want to see you at all."

"Eat quickly!"

The cold, stern voice, tinged with reprimand, rang out again, and Jiang Wan's hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.

Why are you being so fierce?

You shouldn't have asked her that question.

Even if you've only been dating for two months, it's obvious that meeting the parents is inappropriate.

He himself said she was "not qualified," yet he still got angry.

Is it because you feel that she, as a "pet" providing emotional value, hasn't done a good job?

Jiang Wan was afraid of provoking him again, so she focused on eating.

Neither of them spoke a word the rest of the way.

.....

8 o'clock, at the airport.

The car stopped slowly.

Jiang Wan got off the car with Shang Shixu.

The driver in the front seat handed him a handbag.

Shang Shixu took the money and instructed the driver, "Take her back."

"Yes, young master."

Jiang Wan stood beside the car, the sunlight shining on her, making her white sportswear gleam.

The face was completely covered by a mask and sunglasses.

Goodbye, brother~

She waved to him in a lighthearted tone.

The little voice inside my head couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

It's finally time to leave.

These past two days have felt like an eternity!

Shang Shixu didn't move, staring at her dark, grimy face, and said coldly, "Anything else?"

Jiang Wan tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said in a sweet voice, "Remember to message me when you arrive!"

"That's it?" He frowned slightly.

Jiang Wan blinked behind her sunglasses, unable to figure out what he wanted to hear.

"Why don't you just sue me—"

He was speaking when someone suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him forward—

Jiang Wan was caught off guard and bumped into an embrace.

The aura belonging to the Shang Dynasty instantly enveloped her.

He lowered his head and brought his lips close to her ear.

"Remember, always take the initiative to hug when you part ways in the future."