Newlyweds are in the throes of passion, but Professor He's little darling wants a separation.

He Tingchu rubbed his throbbing temples, took a deep breath, and Wen Xi spoke first.

"What...are you plotting against me, no, against the Wen family?" Wen Xi sat up straight, his face grim.

The silk quilt draped down, revealing a large expanse of white, soft skin. At this moment, she couldn't care less about the proper separation between men and women; He Tingchu wasn't after her at all.

He wasn't sexually interested in her.

They were after Kangde Pharmaceutical, which was behind her.

The man's deep-set eyes lingered on that clean-cut face, his eyebrows slightly raised, his gaze level with her fair, soft skin and undulating curves.

His throat felt inexplicably dry, so he picked up a glass of cold water and drank half of it to calm the burning sensation.

Wen Xi was completely oblivious to the man's subtle reaction; her mind was entirely on Kant.

Kant was Wen Xi's lifeblood, and he would not allow anyone else to touch him.

Wen Xi sat upright, and the distance between them, less than a meter, seemed to be an insurmountable chasm.

He Tingchu's dark eyes churned with a mixture of anger and amusement.

He covered his face with his palms; it seemed he couldn't sleep until he explained himself.

Tonight is destined to be sleepless.

He could only pull the blanket up a bit, lean lazily against the headboard, and begin the businesslike conversation.

"My agreement to marry you has nothing to do with Kant, and no one can force me. Of course, my grandfather's condition for marrying you is that I will no longer interfere in Hanyu. Are you satisfied with this answer?" He Tingchu said, word by word.

Wen Xi remained silent, his mind racing, trying to gauge the credibility of his words.

"To say something you may not like, my ambitions lie not in Kant."

His words were firm and resolute, carrying an unyielding seriousness that left no room for argument. Wen Xi's body trembled involuntarily.

Could it be that she's being petty?

After returning to Beijing, Wen Shiyuan conducted a background check on He Tingchu. After all, the two families had cooperated before and were about to get married, so he naturally conducted a comprehensive and in-depth investigation into Yufeng's future leader.

There's also a stack of his personal files in his study at home.

Furthermore, he holds multiple positions, and Hanyu Technology is a high-end artificial intelligence company, with no overlap with Kangde's business modules.

Moreover, Kant is now in a precarious situation.

Wen Xi couldn't see any ulterior motives Kant might have towards him.

Her presence was noticeably lacking.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"The fact that you could think of this proves you're not that stupid," He Tingchu said casually.

"I'm stupid? I'm a future medical genius... I scored 658 on the college entrance exam and got into Haicheng Medical College. I just didn't want to leave my parents. Otherwise, I could have taken a gamble on Peking University. Also, I was the top scorer in the postgraduate entrance exam by a wide margin. A wide margin... Do you know what a wide margin means?... Hmph." Wen Xi was very unconvinced when she was called stupid.

She crossed her arms, pouted, and looked angrily like a small, inflated pufferfish, which was quite funny.

And tried to persuade him with facts.

He Tingchu turned her face away, chuckled softly, and the man stretched out his long arm, leaning closer and gently ruffling her fluffy hair with his large hand.

"Yes, Wen Qiqi, you're the best."

"...Tingchu-ge, I'm not a child anymore. Be careful and don't touch my head like you used to. It's messed up my hairstyle." Wen Xi said calmly.

...

He Tingchu's pupils contracted slightly, and then he guiltily withdrew his restless hand. Why did he rub her head like he did ten years ago? She wasn't thirteen years old anymore.

"Oh, now that everything's clear, can I go to sleep?" He Tingchu turned his back and lay down again; he was exhausted after a long day.

With this tense pre-sleep conversation over, Wen Xi felt much lighter.

But she was still wide awake, her eyes sparkling. The events of the day had deeply shocked her, as dramatic as a play.

Now that we've started talking, let's chat and try to build rapport.

"Brother Tingchu...I have a small problem..."

"Do you intend to continue calling me that in the future?" He Tingchu sighed.

Yeah, they're husband and wife after all... won't they give themselves away?

Okay, then let's change the way we address each other. What should we call each other?

"Yes, He Tingchu."

A complex light flashed in the man's eyes.

They were so disrespectful, calling him by his full name.

The man's eyes were listless, yet he seemed unable to refute it.

"Don't worry too much. I know you have someone you love. You helped me this time, and I will repay your kindness. A year from now, once Kangde has recovered, I will definitely give you your freedom so you can pursue your happiness. I will have my dad announce that we parted ways because of incompatibility and will continue to be friends in the future... These days, I have a very open mind... I'm not that old-fashioned..." Wen Xi said more and more.

Once they start talking, they can't stop.

…He Tingchu frowned deeply, and one of his words was particularly jarring.

"Wait, what do you mean I have someone I love?"

"Hey, don't be nervous. I didn't mean to pry into your privacy. It's just that I saw you having dinner with him the other day... People even said you two are the 'two dogs from Peking University'... I'm very open-minded... What era are we living in now? You don't need to be embarrassed." Wen Xi's voice trailed off as he spoke.

Gossiping in front of the parties involved is a bit too unkind.

The blanket was pulled up a bit more...

"Damn it, Wen Qiqi, just because Gu Lianyu and I had a meal together doesn't mean we're lovers... Did you see us in bed or take our pants off...?" This time, He Tingchu really couldn't hold back, and he scoffed.

He was in a complete panic, his face ashen, and he snapped on the ceiling light.

This is practically an execution on the spot.

Wen Xi awkwardly scratched at the blanket with his toes, wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Gu Lianyu?

This name sounds familiar, wait a minute.

"You mean that person is my mentor, Gu Lianyu?"

...

This time, it was He Tingchu's turn to remain silent.

"Is Gu Lianyu your mentor?"

Wen Xi nodded emphatically.

"So should I tell your advisor that you fabricated pornographic rumors about us... and even said we were playing with amputations?"

"No...no...I was wrong, Brother Tingchu, please forgive my mistake."

"Who's your brother? I don't have a fetish for sleeping with my sister."

"Oh, He Tingchu."

"I think we don't need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow... I've changed my mind." A cunning glint flashed across the man's face.

She and He Tingchu were tied to the red carpet before they even had a chance to get their marriage certificate.

At the time, her parents mentioned that she and He Tingyou had registered their marriage long ago, but He Tingyou was too busy to get away, so they didn't get it done.

"Brother Tingchu, I was wrong. For the sake of our decades of knowing each other, please come with me to get our marriage certificate. Also, don't tell my respected mentor..." She straightened her back, clasped her hands together, and stared intently at him, practically begging him to kneel down.

The investment agreement clearly states in black and white that a marriage certificate is a necessary condition for the second phase of investment.

I've finally seen how much trouble a person can cause.

A single piece of gossip has not only cost her Kant studies, but could it also jeopardize her academic future?

It seems she messed things up.

What should I do?

Just then, her phone vibrated a few times; it was Xie Chunxi calling. Seeing a call from a family member, Wen Xi immediately wanted to cry.

She threw back the covers, got out of bed, and went to answer the call with her phone in hand.

"Mom..." Wen Xi sniffed.

"What's wrong, Qiqi...did Tingchu bully you?"

Xie Chunxi's words, neither too loud nor too soft, drifted into He Tingchu's ear.

He didn't bully her, did he?

He Tingchu wasn't that tasteless as to bully girls.

He's a university professor, after all.

One should be a role model for others.

"...Mom...I just want to go home, sob sob sob..." Wen Xi broke down in an instant.

A girl's soft sobs drifted from the study, like a kitten gently scratching at his heart.

Did he scare her to tears?

That's really awful of him.

The phone call had stopped in the study; Wen Xi was still hiding there.

He Tingchu entered the study separated by a wall, and what came into view was Wen Xi curled up by the French window, hugging his knees, his eyelashes wet, and tears falling like small pearls.

An indescribable sense of melancholy weighed on my heart.

Just like when they were children, He Tingchu almost instinctively pulled her frail body into his arms, his large hands tightly gripping her waist. Her nose was red from crying, and her eyelashes trembled, glistening with tears. He embraced her, gently stroking her back, his burning chest pressing against her forehead.

"I was just kidding... Don't cry, I'm sorry."

The little crybaby truly lived up to his name, delivering a performance that didn't disappoint him.

He's the only one who can comfort the person who made him cry.