Boyfriend's passive-aggressive behavior, she turns the tables and makes him her backup option.

"Tch, don't you dare prioritize romance over friendship. I've sent you my location, come save me!"

After saying that, Qin Qing hung up the phone decisively.

In the past, if someone had spoken to Xie Jingyao like that, Xie Jingyao would definitely not have given them any face.

But Xie Jingyao said to Si Nian, "I have something to do and need to go out for a bit. I'll have the driver take you home."

Si Nian stared at him for two seconds, watching him quickly put on his clothes.

She declined, saying, "No need, I can just take a taxi home myself."

Xie Jingyao paused for a moment, then told her, "Then be careful and let me know when you get home."

Watching Xie Jingyao's hurried departure.

Si Nianshui's eyes darkened slightly.

This is truly the first time I've ever seen Xie Jingyao, who could be summoned even when the arrow is already on the bowstring.

They were abroad before.

Even important international conferences cannot wake Xie Jingyao from his bed.

Now, a single phone call is enough to get Xie Jingyao to get dressed and leave.

This made Si Nian immediately sense that something was amiss.

She couldn't help but wonder who Qin Qing really was.

After getting out of bed, Si Nian dressed and then hailed a Didi (ride-hailing service) to leave Bishuiwan.

Throughout the journey, Si Nian couldn't quite articulate her feelings.

I felt a tightness in my chest and a sense of disappointment.

She kept reminding herself that it was foolish to fall into the same trap twice, but it was even more foolish to fall for the same man twice.

She didn't want to be the fool.

The best situation for her and Xie Jingyao is to maintain a purely mutually beneficial relationship.

After calming herself down for a while, the heavy feeling in Si Nian's heart gradually dissipated.

She began to think about how to make the most of Xie Jingyao's talents.

……

After leaving Xie Jingyao's house, Lin's mother, Zhao Yulan, suddenly contacted Si Nian, wanting to meet her.

Si Nian arrived at the restaurant where Zhao Yulan had invited her.

The other party got straight to the point, saying, "Niannian, Tinghan must have told you about the divorce, right? I'm here today on behalf of the Lin family to offer you some compensation."

"They told me, but I don't need the compensation."

"Keep them. They are several houses in the south of the city. You can live in them yourself or sell them. I am very pleased that you can consider the bigger picture and agree to the divorce at this time. It means that the Lin family did not spoil you for nothing."

"..."

Zhao Yulan pulled out another receipt from her bag. "This is the receipt for the divorce cooling-off period. I had someone retrieve it secretly from Tinghan. Here's a copy for you. A month from now, your divorce certificate will be delivered to you and Tinghan. But I have one request: you don't need to mention this to Tinghan during this period. I hope his follow-up examination goes smoothly."

Zhao Yulan was worried that something might happen to Lin Tinghan, so she took it upon herself to use some means to proceed with the divorce proceedings in order to prevent Lin Tinghan from changing his mind again.

Lin Tinghan's latest medical check-up will determine whether he can secure the development of Lin's latest project.

There can be no mistakes.

Si Nian glanced at it, nodded, and said, "I understand."

Zhao Yulan said with satisfaction, "I'll have someone transfer the house to you in a while. As for anything else, you can tell me if you have any requests."

"I don't have any other requests."

Zhao Yulan didn't waste any more words and got up to leave.

……

Since returning to Yunjin Mansion, Xie Jingyao and Si Nian have been out of contact for a short period.

It wasn't exactly a complete break in contact; it was just that Xie Jingyao didn't initiate any messages to Si Nian, and Si Nian didn't bother him either.

Looking at their chat history, which had remained unchanged for three days.

Si Nian hesitated before sending him her first message in three days.

Is today the day I'm scheduled to meet my mom?

The other person replied after a while: "Yes, I'll come pick you up now."

Half an hour later, Xie Jingyao sent a message to Si Nian, asking her to come downstairs.

Si Nian looked in the direction they were heading; it wasn't the road to the prison.

She couldn't help but ask, "Isn't it going to prison?"

Xie Jingyao said, "Auntie is hospitalized in the supervised ward."

Si Nian's heart tightened. "Is my mother's condition very serious?"

"There's no danger to his life, but he meets the criteria for hospitalization."

Si Nian's heart was clenched tightly. Seeing this, Xie Jingyao comforted her, "It's not as serious as you think. You'll know when you see me."

"Um."

"What have you been busy with these past few days? Why haven't you messaged me?" Xie Jingyao asked casually, turning the steering wheel.

"I didn't contact you because I was afraid of bothering you."

"Oh, I thought you were angry."

"What are you angry about?"

"It was a dud." Xie Jingyao raised his lips and turned to look at Si Nian while waiting at the traffic light.

Si Nian was speechless. "Do I look like the kind of person who would turn on you if I couldn't sleep with you?"

"It's hard to say."

"You haven't contacted me either?" Si Nian retorted.

"So if I don't contact you, you won't contact me either?"

"..."

Xie Jingyao's tone became a bit more serious, "From now on, take the initiative to report to me what you've been doing."

"What's there to report? Besides eating, sleeping, and practicing the piano, there's not much else to do every day."

"Then report to me what you eat for each meal, what music you practice, and when you go to sleep."

Si Nian said somewhat awkwardly, "Between us, is it really necessary to report everything to each other?"

"How could it be? After all, you have a criminal record."

Si Nian turned her head to look at Xie Jingyao, puzzled, and asked, "What criminal record?"

"A history of infidelity." Xie Jingyao said coldly, "I'm a bit of a germaphobe. While you're with me, you can't have other men. If you don't report it to me clearly, who knows if you'll cheat on me again when I'm not looking?"

"I didn't cheat. I've already said that I only got together with Lin Tinghan after we broke up."

"A seamless transition is also considered cheating. In any case, you need to report to me clearly from now on."

"!"

"Did you hear that?"

"I heard you."

Seeing her reluctant expression, Xie Jingyao snorted coldly, "Being a mistress means you have to be aware of your role. You have to take the initiative to please me."