My online dating circle has millions of followers, why would she put a collar on me?

Villa area.

As the car drove through the gate, Jiang Yi saw a scene through the car window that he had only ever seen in TV dramas.

The detached villas are scattered along the mountainside, with each villa separated by a green belt at least several tens of meters apart. Rows of ginkgo trees are planted on both sides of the driveway, and the newly sprouted tender leaves gleam with a transparent green in the sunlight.

This is no ordinary neighborhood; it's one of Kyoto's most exclusive and affluent areas. The price per square meter is enough for his entire family to save for several lifetimes without spending a penny.

The Lincoln slowly drove up the driveway and finally stopped in front of a gray-white three-story villa.

The courtyard wall is not high, and it is covered with climbing roses that have not yet bloomed. The wrought iron gate is open, and you can see the neatly trimmed lawn and a fairly large swimming pool inside.

"We're here." Su Xiaoyue lifted her head from Jiang Yi's shoulder, stretched, and looked like a cat that had just woken up. "Honey, this is my house in Kyoto. You can come and stay anytime from now on."

Jiang Yi looked at the house, feeling as if something was stuck in his throat.

"Come and stay anytime from now on?" He doesn't even know if he'll make it out of here alive today.

The car door opened, and the butler was already standing outside waiting, bowing slightly.

"Miss, the room is ready. Lunch is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. The chef said that today's dishes are all your favorites, and the red wine that Miss Gu likes has also been decanted in advance."

"You've worked hard." Su Xiaoyue nodded, then naturally took Jiang Yi's arm, looked up at him, her eyes shining like two stars, "Honey, shall we go inside?"

Jiang Yi mechanically took steps and followed her inside.

Gu Qinghan walked behind, dragging her suitcase. Her gaze lingered on his back for a few seconds, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

The curve of his eyes was hard to define – it was either a smile or something else entirely, as if he had seen through something but wasn't planning to reveal it yet.

As Jiang Yi walked through the courtyard and into the main gate, his vision was refreshed layer by layer.

The living room has a high ceiling of at least five or six meters, and a full-length window faces the swimming pool and lawn in the backyard. Sunlight pours in without reservation, making the light gray marble floor shine.

The sofa is a designer piece that looks ridiculously expensive, with clean, simple lines and an immaculate off-white fabric.

A huge abstract painting hung on the wall. Jiang Yi couldn't understand it, but the frame alone was enough to cover his living expenses for a month.

"Honey, let me show you your room." Su Xiaoyue pulled him upstairs, her steps light as if she were skipping.

Jiang Yi's heart skipped a beat. His room? What do you mean by his room?

The staircase is spiral, with black wrought iron handrails and light-colored solid wood treads, making almost no sound when stepped on.

The second floor is a narrow corridor with several white doors on both sides.

Su Xiaoyue stopped in front of the innermost door, pushed it open, stepped aside, and gestured for her to come in.

"Ta-da! Honey, look what I prepared for you!"

Jiang Yi walked in, but stopped in his tracks once again.

This room was better than anywhere else he had ever stayed.

It's not the kind of luxurious hotel-style decor, but rather a more comfortable and homey atmosphere.

A large bed stood by the window, covered with dark gray bedding, and the pillows were neatly arranged.

A warm yellow table lamp sits on the bedside table, next to a small potted plant.

There was a desk against the wall, with a desk lamp, pen holder, notebook, and even a brand-new-looking laptop already on it.

The curtains are double-layered: a white sheer curtain and a dark gray blackout curtain. At this moment, the sheer curtain is drawn, and sunlight shines through the thin fabric, casting a soft light and shadow on the wooden floor.

On the wall next to the desk, there's a small corkboard with a sticky note on it that reads: "Honey, work must be tough, cheer up!"

Jiang Yi stared at the note and felt his eyes sting.

That overwhelming sense of guilt that made it hard for him to breathe.

The girl's kindness towards "him" was meticulous in every detail.

She remembered that "he" had said he liked dark gray, so she chose dark gray bedding.

She remembered that "he" had said he would write something when he was tired from work, so she prepared a desk and a notebook.

She remembered that "he" had said he liked warm-toned lighting, so she chose a warm yellow for the table lamp.

Eighty percent of the things "he" said were made up by that spendthrift Jiang Miaomiao to swindle money.

"Honey, do you like it?" Su Xiaoyue stood behind him, her voice tinged with nervousness.

"I don't know what kind of decor you prefer, so I just roughly arranged it based on what you mentioned in our previous conversation. If you don't like it, we can change it; the housekeeper said—"

"I like it," Jiang Yi interrupted her, his voice a little hoarse. "I really like it."

Su Xiaoyue breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Her smile was so pure it was almost unreal, like a sky washed clean by rain. She walked over, stood in front of him, looked up at him, and suddenly reached out, her fingertips touching the corner of his eye.

"Honey, your eyes are red."

"Really?" Jiang Yi turned his head and blinked hard. "Maybe... the light is too strong."

Su Xiaoyue didn't expose him, but simply hummed in agreement, then tiptoed and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "That's good, I was worried you wouldn't like it."

Jiang Yi stood there, feeling as if the skin that had been kissed was branded with a hot iron, burning intensely.

He instinctively reached out to touch it, but then felt the movement was too strange, so he lowered his hand halfway up and ended up standing there stiffly, like a wooden stake nailed to the ground.

"You rest for a bit, I'll go downstairs and check on dinner preparations." Su Xiaoyue took two steps towards the door, then turned back to look at him. "Honey, why don't you stay here tonight? The room's all ready, please don't refuse me, okay?"

Jiang Yi opened his mouth, the word "no" rolled around in his throat, but he swallowed it back in the end.

The door closed.

Jiang Yi was the only one left in the room.

He stood in front of the desk, staring at the sticky notes on the corkboard for a few seconds, then slowly, like a deflated balloon, he slumped down.

He walked to the bedside and sat down. The mattress was softer than he had expected, and he sank in as soon as he sat down.

He covered his face with his hands and let out a long, exhausted breath.

Staying here? Tonight? He's a man with a girlfriend, living in the home of a wealthy heiress who's incredibly kind to him? What kind of situation is this?

Jiang Yi removed his hand from his face and took out his phone.

There are no new messages on the screen.

Xia Anmian is still on the plane. The flight from Kyoto to Shanghai takes about two hours. She took off at around 10:30, and it's just past 12 o'clock now. She should land in about an hour.

He exited Xia Anmian's chat window, opened his contacts, found Jiang Miaomiao's number, and dialed it.

beep - beep - beep -

It rang almost six times before the other end answered. Jiang Miaomiao's voice carried a clear sense of guilt: "Brother? What's wrong?"

Where are you?

"The...the dormitory, what's wrong?"

"Come to Chaoyang District right now, I'll send you the address."

Jiang Yi's voice was very low, almost a whisper, "Su Xiaoyue has arrived. She asked me to stay at her house. I don't know what to do. You need to come over quickly."

There was a full three seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then a scream erupted: "What?! She's here?! Wasn't she supposed to arrive this afternoon?!"

"She changed her ticket. Stop talking and come over here!"

"But brother, I—"

"Jiang Miaomiao, if you don't come over, I'll explain your situation to your parents right now, and you can decide what to do." Jiang Yi hung up the phone immediately after saying that and sent the address.

He stared at the "sent" notification on the screen, took a deep breath, and put his phone back in his pocket.

Such a wonderful person, and yet he is the biggest lie hidden among them.