My stepmother forced me to donate bone marrow, so I retaliated by slapping my scumbag father in the

Yu Binglan looked up at him, her eyes filled with both shyness and seriousness.

"Brother Shen Ze, it's not that I'm unwilling."

"I just...want to introduce you to my family first."

I want them to know that the person I like is you.

"Then let's continue, okay?"

Shen Ze looked at her.

She is already a female CEO who controls a multi-billion dollar group, but she remains conservative and serious when it comes to relationships.

She wasn't just playing around, nor was it a momentary impulse.

She wanted to bring this relationship into the open, to show it to her family.

Shen Ze's heart softened, and he gently ruffled her hair. "Okay."

Yu Binglan's eyes welled up with tears, and she leaned into his arms.

Shen Ze held her and did nothing else.

The night outside the window was quiet, and the two of them embraced each other for a long time.

After Shen Ze left, Yu Binglan leaned against the door and gently touched her lips.

The heat on my face just wouldn't go down.

She picked up her phone, hesitated for a while, and then opened Jiang Huan's chat window.

【Huanhuan.】

Jiang Huan replied almost instantly: 【What's wrong?】

Yu Binglan stared at the screen, her finger hovering for a long time before finally sending a message: "I just kissed him."

In her room at the Longdu Hotel, Jiang Huan was wearing a face mask and drinking water.

Upon seeing this message, she almost spat out her water.

What did you say?

Did you kiss Shen Ze?

[Yu Binglan, aren't you the most conservative one?]

Yu Binglan blushed even more, but still replied, "Mm."

Jiang Huan sat up straight, her face mask almost falling off; she knew Yu Binglan all too well.

From childhood to adulthood, Yu Binglan has always kept her distance from men.

Let alone kissing, she would instinctively avoid anyone who even gets a little close.

The men who pursued her in Longdu offered her luxury cars, jewelry, and even project collaborations, but Yu Binglan coldly rejected them all.

Jiang Huan once joked that Yu Binglan was probably going to marry her job for the rest of her life.

But how long has it been since they reunited with Shen Ze?

Her best friend actually gave her first kiss. Jiang Huan's fingers flew across the keyboard: 【You're really done for.】

[And they planted faster than I expected.]

Yu Binglan looked at these two sentences without refuting them.

After a while, she replied softly: "Yes, I like him."

Jiang Huan stared at the screen for a long while before sighing.

She had seen Yu Binglan keep people at arm's length, and she had also seen Yu Binglan be decisive and ruthless at the conference table.

I've never seen her so openly admit to liking someone.

The team building activity at Tianshan Resort officially concluded on the morning of the second day.

The employees of Xingchen Group dragged their luggage toward the bus, still excitedly chatting about last night's bonfire party and hot springs.

But as they talked, the topic circled back to Shen Ze and Yu Binglan.

"Did you see that last night? Mr. Yu kept putting food on Mr. Shen's plate during dinner?"

"Not only that, Mr. Shen went to get a drink, and Mr. Yu's eyes followed him there."

"Manager Wang used to often try to impress General Manager Yu, but when has General Manager Yu ever given him that kind of look?"

"Don't even mention Manager Wang, he was practically green with rage yesterday."

Several female employees laughed in hushed tones.

Wang Yu, who was nearby, overheard this and his face immediately darkened.

Yesterday, while hiking, he wanted to wait for Shen Ze to make a fool of himself, but Shen Ze walked steadily the whole way, holding Yu Binglan's hand and walking ahead.

He was swimming in the stream, trying to show off his physique, but when Shen Ze came out, he was instantly reduced to a background figure.

During the dinner party that evening, Yu Binglan sat next to Shen Ze the entire time, completely ignoring everyone else.

Wang Yu felt increasingly frustrated.

He worked at Xingchen Group for several years and finally became a department manager. He was quite popular among the female employees.

But once Shen Ze appeared, he was nothing.

"Manager Wang, let's go."

A colleague from the same department called out, and Wang Yu snapped out of his daze, getting into the car with a cold expression.

On the way back, the employee bus was still bustling with activity.

Wang Yu, sitting by the window, grew increasingly annoyed as he listened, and finally couldn't help but say, "That's enough, you guys."

The carriage was silent for a moment.

One of the female employees paused for a moment, then said, "Manager Wang, we're just having a casual chat."

"Just want to chat?"

Wang Yu sneered, "Company team building is to enhance team cohesion, not for you to gossip about the leaders' private lives."

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of several employees vanished.

Someone whispered, "But nobody said anything nasty."

Wang Yu's face darkened further: "You dare talk back?"

The employee was startled.

Someone nearby quickly tried to smooth things over: "Manager Wang, don't be angry, everyone's just having fun."

Wang Yu, however, seemed to have found an outlet for his anger, raising his voice: "Having fun should have its limits! Don't think that just because the team building is over you can be unruly."

"Especially some people, who spend all day staring at the men next to the boss. They should use that energy to think more about their work."

The carriage was completely silent.

The female employees looked rather grim; these words were no longer a reminder, but a public humiliation.

The assistant in the front row frowned and immediately took out his phone to send a message to Yu Binglan.

Inside another minivan.

Yu Binglan sat next to Shen Ze, who was looking down at the documents.

When her phone vibrated, she glanced at it, and the gentle look on her face instantly turned cold.

Shen Ze noticed her change in mood: "What's wrong?"

Yu Binglan didn't hide anything from him and handed him her phone.

After reading it, Shen Ze raised an eyebrow slightly: "Wang Yu?"

"Hmm." Yu Binglan's tone was indifferent. "He's been restless since yesterday."

Shen Ze smiled and said, "Because of me?"

Yu Binglan looked up at him, her tone serious: "It's not your problem."

After she finished speaking, she immediately dialed her assistant's number: "Have the convoy stop at the service area ahead."

Twenty minutes later, the convoy entered the highway service area.

The employees got off the bus to rest, and many of them were still unaware of what had happened.

As soon as Wang Yu got off the bus, he saw Yu Binglan walking over from the van, with Shen Ze by her side.

The employees fell silent instantly and all looked over.

Yu Binglan usually has a strong presence at the company, and now that her face has turned cold, she makes people even more afraid to speak.

Wang Yu's heart skipped a beat, but he still forced a smile: "President Yu, what's wrong?"

Yu Binglan looked at him: "Did you reprimand your employees in the car just now?"

Wang Yu's expression changed slightly: "President Yu, I was just reminding them to pay attention to the company's image."

"Company image?"

Yu Binglan's voice wasn't loud, but it made the surrounding employees hold their breath. "The company image you're referring to, is it publicly humiliating female employees with offensive language?"

Wang Yu quickly explained, "I didn't mean to humiliate anyone. I just felt it was inappropriate for everyone to keep discussing your private matters."

"My private matters are none of your business."

Yu Binglan's words effectively shut Wang Yu down.

The surrounding employees looked at each other, all of them taken aback.

Mr. Yu is openly protecting Mr. Shen, and also protecting the employee who was just scolded.

Wang Yu's face turned pale: "President Yu, I really didn't mean that."