A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

The Lan family's little farce is not worthy of being discussed in public and is not worth mentioning in the press.

Qin Yan was unaware of this.

She continued to keep busy, maintaining the newspaper's current revenue while preparing to launch a new issue.

She rented the building next to the office, where the two could be connected by a small door, with a separate entrance.

It was cold in winter, so Qin Yan went to buy winter clothes. He bought two fur coats for Ling Manyun, as well as several sweaters and a few pairs of ankle boots for her.

Fearing that Ling Manyun would refuse, Qin Yan said, "Consider it a New Year's bonus I gave you."

Ling Manyun accepted the gift: "It's clearly a gift from you. You can't shortchange me a single penny of my year-end bonus."

Qin Yan: "..."

When she returned to the villa that day, the maid said that Xiang Linzi had called her.

Qin Yan replied.

Xiang Linzi had nothing to do and wanted to invite Qin Yan for coffee and a meal.

"Lin Zi, just say what you need to say, don't be so polite with me," Qin Yan said.

Xiang Linzi: "Sister-in-law, you said last time I could try being a lead writer. I heard you're starting a new magazine, can I give it a shot?"

"Can."

"Really?" Xiang Linzi was overjoyed.

"You can give it a try. I'll have my secretary contact you later and give you a topic. Once you've written your article, send it to the newspaper, and the editors and I will review it. If it passes, you can come to work," Qin Yan said.

Xiang Linzi's excitement subsided: "So strict?"

"The newspaper office is a place to make a living, and making a living always requires a lot of effort," Qin Yan said.

Xiang Linzi: "Okay, I'll give it a try."

She added, "Sister-in-law, do you and Miss Ling usually have time off? I'd really like to invite you two for a picnic, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm tacky..."

"Take a break," Qin Yan said. "We get regular rest every week."

She added, "The weather's been nice lately, perfect for a picnic. When are you going?"

"weekend?"

"Okay, I'll contact you again," Qin Yan said.

She thought Xiang Linzi would be hesitant, but to her surprise, she called the newspaper the very next day.

Ling Manyun explained to her that, just like interviewing a regular lead writer, every step of the process was very rigorous.

Afterwards, she compiled the incident into a document and handed it to Qin Yan.

"I extended the deadline, giving her five days to submit the manuscript," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yan nodded.

The two of them don't talk about personal matters at work.

When she got off work, Qin Yan asked her if she wanted to go on a picnic this weekend.

"Didn't you want to find out about Xiang Linchuan? You might as well ask Lin Zi. Maybe Xiang Linchuan will go too," Qin Yan said.

Ling Manyun: "Okay, I'll go take a look."

Qin Yan then asked, "Has Qin Yao been bothering you these past few days?"

"He sits downstairs at his apartment almost every day. He sits whenever he wants, and I don't go up to greet him anymore," Ling Manyun said.

She also asked Qin Yan, "How are things on your end?"

"Cheng Tianxun has been away for almost half a month, and I'm quite comfortable," Qin Yan said.

As they talked, Qin Yan escorted Ling Manyun to the tram stop, watched her board the tram, and then turned back to his car.

Over the weekend, Xiang Linzi invited a group of people to a picnic, a dozen or so men and women, including her brother Xiang Linchuan.

Just like early spring, early winter brings warm sunshine, making it a perfect time to sit and chat outdoors.

They set up their setup with great fanfare, and parked a black car some distance away.

The car door opened, and there was Cen Yan inside.

"The 'patriarch' is here. Quick, hide that bottle of whiskey." Xiang Linzi directed methodically.

He added, "The cigars over there are placed under the picnic blanket."

Skilled and efficient, she was clearly always up to no good under Xiang Cenyan's nose.

Qin Yan and Ling Manyun remained silent because Qin Yao was with Xiang Cenyan.

Several of the girls on Xiang Linzi's side stared wide-eyed, asking her, "Did you find out? Is he married?"

"I didn't inquire."

Cen Yan walked over, and everyone stood up to greet him.

"I was just passing by and happened to see you having a picnic. You can have fun, don't worry about me," Xiang Cenyan said.

He said those words, but he didn't leave.

This caused the spoiled brats to look at each other in bewilderment, each of them standing there as if punished.

Xiang Linchuan wore a fashionable suit vest and used a lot of hair oil to neatly comb his thick, bushy hair into a parted style.

He said, "Brother, move one step. If you stand here like a door god, we can't eat or drink."

"If you don't do bad things, why would you need to fear the door gods?"

"It's not a bad thing for good-for-nothing young people to get together; it's just for fun," Xiang Linchuan said. "Brother, do you have nowhere else to go and want to hang out with us?"

Cen Yan: "..."

Xiang Linchuan then looked to Qin Yan for help, "Sister-in-law, does he have something to say to you? Why don't you move to another place?"

Qin Yan slightly raised his head: "I don't think so, big brother?"

Xiang Cenyan smiled and said, "No, I was just passing by."

Everyone: "..."

In the end, Qin Yan and Ling Manyun left together, and the playboys were able to catch their breath only after they found another place to talk with Xiang Cenyan and Qin Yao.

Xiang Linzi secretly followed them.

A moment later, Xiang Linzi, Cen Yan, and Qin Yan strolled along the field ridge beside the official road; Qin Yao and Ling Manyun stood under the willow tree talking.

After exchanging a few words, Ling Manyun strode over and questioned Xiang Cenyan, "Does the Cabinet even have any laws?"

Xiang Linzi turned her head and looked at her curiously.

Cen Yan: "The cabinet's laws are very strict."

"I need to speak with you privately for a few minutes," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yao pushed up his glasses: "You can tell me."

Ling Manyun ignored him.

Cen Yan and Ling Manyun then took a few steps forward.

Qin Yao, on the other hand, stayed by Qin Yan and Xiang Linzi's side.

Xiang Linzi asked him, "Is Miss Ling your girlfriend?"

"She is my wife, we have a marriage certificate," Qin Yao said.

Xiang Linzi's eyes lit up: "Are you throwing a tantrum? Or has the Qin family, the Cheng family, and the Xiang family reached some kind of agreement, so that the young mistress will stay in Nancheng as a hostage?"

"We were just having a tantrum," Qin Yao said.

Xiang Linzi is an unmarried woman who is both open-minded and conservative. She desperately wants to find out about Qin Yao's gossip, but she can't squeeze next to Qin Yao, so she puts Qin Yan in the middle.

Because she kept getting closer, Qin Yan was almost shoulder to shoulder with Qin Yao.

Qin Yao tactfully stepped aside, but Xiang Linzi squeezed in again.

Before Qin Yan could say anything, someone spoke up: "Why don't you stick to him? Why go through all that trouble?"

Xiang Linzi suddenly turned around.

She was surprised: "Second brother? Aren't you...?"

Qin Yan then spotted Cheng Tianxun.

Cheng Tianxun stood by the official road, his military uniform dirty and his hair long.

The couple's eyes met, and Qin Yan released Xiang Linzi's hand, taking a few steps forward: "Young Marshal, you're back?"

She remembered Cheng Tianxun saying that he wouldn't be back until the end of the year.

It's only been less than twenty days, and there's still a long way to go before the end of the year.

However, it's normal for official duties to change, and Qin Yan's work often has to be completed earlier or later than scheduled.

"Just got back," Cheng Tianxun said.

Then he asked, "Are you all done playing?"

His gaze swept toward Qin Yao.

Qin Yao exchanged polite greetings with him, but Cheng Tianxun's replies were sarcastic and ambiguous.

Cen Yan and Xiang Linchuan saw him and made a special trip over.

After exchanging a few casual words, Cheng Tianxun said he would go back to the villa to rest first. He was covered in dust from the journey and had no appetite.

Qin Yan also wants to go back.

"Is your innocent guy trying to seduce Lin Zi? Lin Zi is practically glued to him." Cheng Tianxun asked this in the car back home.