A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Qin Yan told Ling Manyun what had happened.

Ling Manyun: "She actually used the first issue of the new year to disparage you? Is she even a qualified newspaper professional?"

It's a disgrace to the press.

How can a person disregard the overall situation for personal gain?

Qin Yan: "..."

"But she owns a newspaper. If we block her this time, what about next time?" Ling Manyun asked.

Qin Yan: "You want to get fat in one bite? Of course, you have to take it slowly."

Ling Manyun: "I told you, if we had just assassinated her back then, none of this would have happened."

Qin Yan: "..."

She gave Ling Manyun a red envelope containing a check for a thousand silver dollars, thus stopping her from making inflammatory remarks about fighting and killing on the first day of the new year.

Ling Manyun accepted it, somewhat surprised, because Qin Yan had given her a reward before the Lunar New Year.

"How can they be so extravagant?"

"You'll need to work even harder this year, with two newspapers to run," Qin Yan said.

Ling Manyun: "I will certainly serve you."

Qin Yan: "..."

After chatting with Ling Manyun for a while, Qin Yan said that she didn't mind the rumors about her being an "illegitimate child," as they wouldn't affect her reputation.

Du Zhuojun used this to threaten her, but he misused it.

He also told Ling Manyun to focus her efforts on the newspaper and not to compete with Du Zhuojun. The longer a newspaper survives, the more valuable its life becomes.

Ling Manyun was persuaded.

Qin Yan then asked her with concern, "How did you spend New Year's Eve?"

"It was originally quite good. My taro soup was cooked well this year and was very flavorful. It's a pity that Qin Yao came back and sat in his car downstairs for a long time," Ling Manyun said.

It was so cold at night; the metal carriage was like an ice cave. And the firecrackers outside were so loud.

Ling Manyun kept recalling Qin Yao searching for her at the train station during the typhoon. He was soaking wet, bewildered, and panicked.

Going out during a typhoon is a death sentence. And Qin Yao, he wasn't a man of deep emotions; he could offer Ling Manyun very little.

That little bit of affection softened Ling Manyun's heart.

She asked Qin Yao to go upstairs.

I heated up a bowl of taro soup for him and said, "Eat this and then you can leave."

Qin Yao was frozen stiff.

He held the taro soup in his hands, and his glasses quickly fogged up.

Just like that typhoon day, he stood in the waiting room, his glasses also covered by rain.

With his hands tied, Ling Manyun leaned over and took off his glasses for him.

Qin Yao held the bowl with one hand and kissed her with the other around her waist.

Ling Manyun didn't struggle, afraid that the boiling soup would spill and burn them both. His kiss was gentle, with a hint of probing and appeasement.

She felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.

I'd rather he were a bastard, even worse than before.

"Eat up. Taro soup is a must on New Year's Eve," she said.

Qin Yao ate the bland taro soup made by Ling Manyun bite by bite, feeling quite satisfied.

He looked up: "Manjun, if I remove the minor obstacles around Miss Qin, can you forgive me?"

"What minor obstacle?"

"For example, Luo Qisheng, who came with ambition and wanted to destroy her marriage," Qin Yao said.

Ling Manyun: "That Luo, he never gave Qin Yan happiness. He even took his anger out on Qin Yan."

"How do you think Miss Qin's life is now?"

"She's doing well, and she's full of energy."

"Wouldn't it be better for her if she stayed in this marriage without outside interference?" Qin Yao asked again.

Ling Manyun: "Of course."

Ling Manyun used to dislike Cheng Tianxun because of those tabloid gossips; later Qin Yan said that it was all fabricated, and even Du Zhuojun took the initiative to approach him and cling to him.

Ling Manyun did not believe one side of the story.

She specifically dug out those tabloids and spent several nights studying them, and indeed found inconsistencies.

Several tabloid articles were printed from almost the same template, only the names were changed.

A tabloid with good circulation reported that Young Marshal Cheng had bought a small mansion for a certain singer. Perhaps due to the rush, it was published twice in the same month.

They spread so many rumors that they've confused themselves.

The tabloid's chief editor was amazed by Young Marshal Cheng's generosity and magnanimity. The second time, he did not mention that he had already sent it once this month, and he did not use the word "more".

After reading it, Ling Manyun's first thought was anger: As a newspaper professional, don't you even check the sample copies of tabloids?

Ling Manyun can almost remember the themes of all the front-page headlines in the Vernacular Times over the past three months.

"Qin Yan needs to settle down. She probably doesn't want to move on anymore. Regardless of her past with Luo Qisheng, Qin Yan has already moved forward, and she won't look back," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yao: "I won't let Luo Qisheng bother Miss Qin. As for Manjun, I've already gained his trust."

Ling Manyun looked at him suspiciously: "How do I know if you're a double agent?"

"I want your heart," Qin Yao said. "If I lie or deceive, I won't have you. Manyun, you are the most straightforward person I've ever met. You can't tolerate any injustice. I won't seek my own destruction."

Ling Manyun remained silent.

Qin Yao finished the taro soup, and before he had even warmed up, he stood up and said, "I'm leaving."

Ling Manyun was stunned.

She instinctively wanted to ask, "So fast?" But the words caught in her throat, and she quickly stopped herself.

"I only took four hours off," he told Ling Manyun. "It took me an hour to get back, I don't have time."

Ling Manyun: "You don't need to..."

I want to see you.

He wiped his glasses clean, put them back on, and looked at her quietly. "I'm leaving."

"Um."

He spoke, but didn't move. After a while, he finally moved his feet and Ling Manyun asked, "Are you hungry?"

Qin Yao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Ling Manyun: "Don't be so smug. My stance hasn't softened. I'm just asking if you're hungry?"

"Hungry."

Ling Manyun didn't have much to eat, so she simply wrapped up the dried persimmons and stuffed them all into Qin Yao's arms: "These are delicious, you can eat them on the way."

Qin Yao then left.

Ling Manyun sat alone in the house, listening to the sounds of cars starting and driving away outside.

After a long while, she went to the balcony to watch the fireworks in the city and stood in the cold wind for a long time.

Ling Manyun didn't mention these things; she knew Qin Yan didn't want to recall the past.

She simply said to Qin Yan, "I've finished the dried persimmons you bought me last time."

Qin Yan: "Is it that delicious?"

"We'll go buy some more later."

Qin Yan didn't wait for him to turn around.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, she made a special detour to that street and found that the fruit shop was not yet open, but the door panel was left a crack.

Qin Yan parked the car, and a young shop assistant stood guard at the door. Qin Yan bought all the persimmon cakes.

"No change needed."

Her car returned to the villa, where Cheng Tianxun was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper. Seeing her, he came out to greet her.

Seeing her carrying the dried persimmons in a net bag, he took them and asked, "How much are these?"

"I bought everything on the counter, more than five pounds," Qin Yan said. "Try it, Manyun said it's delicious."

Cheng Tianxun was both amused and exasperated: "I can't eat five jin (2.5 kg)."

"It's not all for you. I plan to make a platter so my younger cousins ​​can try it when they come to visit; I also want to bring two jin for Manyun," Qin Yan said.

As Cheng Tianxun listened to her calculations, he looked at the persimmon cakes and realized that there weren't many left for him.

He carried the persimmon cakes, turned around, and went upstairs.

Qin Yan: "No need to take it upstairs."

We'll have to take it down again later.

"I want to eat," he said without turning his head. "I love to eat."

Qin Yan: "..."