Please Marry Me (GL) - Chapter 29

Shen Siyun froze on the spot.

She could hardly believe what she had just heard.

Because of what had happened moments earlier, the collar of her high-quality Chanel outfit had been pulled open by Jiang Yi, and even one strap had slipped crookedly down her arm.

Jiang Yi had put on the black stockings herself.

She had stretched her legs toward Shen Siyun herself.

She had climbed onto Shen Siyun’s lap herself.

She had wrapped her arms around Shen Siyun’s neck herself.

And now she was telling Shen Siyun to go away?!

She even said she wanted her wife?

How could anyone bully someone like this?

“Jiang Yi.”

Shen Siyun’s voice turned dark. She pinched the soft flesh at Jiang Yi’s waist, making her whimper tearfully.

Even so, Jiang Yi kept both delicate hands braced against her shoulders, pushing herself backward with all her strength. Her beautiful, refined chin tilted upward, while her dark hair spilled down like a waterfall as she struggled to shove Shen Siyun away.

Suppressing her anger, Shen Siyun released her.

She watched coldly as Jiang Yi fell straight backward onto the covers, bounced twice, and lay there with her hair spread across the bedding, lending her a disheveled beauty. Her fair collarbones and rising chest were fully exposed.

Shen Siyun tried to stand, only to find her path blocked.

Looking at the black stockings before her, Shen Siyun could not help remembering the sight of Jiang Yi negotiating with that man over dinner.

If there were not so many terrible people in this world—so many rotten men who coveted women—perhaps Jiang Yi would never have needed to call her.

Jiang Yi moved again, continuing to block her.

“Jiang Yi, what exactly do you want?”

Shen Siyun brushed her aside.

“Go away. Don’t touch me, sob…”

Jiang Yi’s brows drew together. She looked both pitiful and wronged.

Freeing her foot from Shen Siyun’s hold, she planted it against Shen Siyun’s shoulder, her heel even pressing against her chest.

Shen Siyun’s breath caught.

She was definitely not drunk!

She had to be deliberately toying with her!

She seduced her, then pushed her away. Pushed her away, then seduced her again.

What a perfect game of playing hard to get!

Their breaths mingled at close range, carrying the rich scent of alcohol in fine, warm waves.

After crying out those words, Jiang Yi made no further sound. Her face turned to one side, her eyes tightly closed, revealing the stubborn yet fragile line of her neck.

Shen Siyun was furious.

“Jiang Yi, I know you aren’t drunk.”

“Wake up.”

“Are you playing with me?”

“If you don’t wake up, I’m going to kiss you.”

Receiving no response, Shen Siyun pressed her red lips into a cold line and leaned down until their lips met.

One second.

Two seconds.

The woman beneath her still showed no reaction, aside from the faint snoring of deep sleep.

Shen Siyun froze.

Slowly, she released Jiang Yi’s wrists. The soft fragrance of Jiang Yi’s lips seemed to remain at the corners of her own.

She stared at Jiang Yi for a long time.

In the end, she pulled a blanket over her and rose to leave.

The moment she turned around, someone unexpectedly seized her wrist.

Shen Siyun’s brow twitched.

Enough.

She had tolerated this woman for far too long tonight.

“Sister… help me take it off…”

After mumbling the words, Jiang Yi gave another small whimper.

The hand Shen Siyun had intended to shake free remained suspended in midair.

She wondered whether she had heard incorrectly.

Jiang Yi had not called her “Sister” since that business trip. After getting married, she had only ever addressed her by her full name.

Jiang Yi disliked sleeping in clothes. Shen Siyun had known that since the first night Jiang Yi slept with her during university.

Shen Siyun turned back and lowered her eyes, staring blankly at the wrist Jiang Yi was holding.

Just as Jiang Yi loosened her grasp after receiving no response, Shen Siyun caught her falling hand and pulled her upright.

After several seconds of silence, she ultimately raised a hand toward Jiang Yi’s shoulder.

Early the next morning, the sunlight of early autumn streamed through the window lattice and fell across the bed.

Jiang Yi felt as though her head were splitting apart. She pressed a hand to her forehead and rubbed hard.

“Song Rao, my head hurts so much… What time is it? Am I supposed to go to work?”

After a moment, no one answered.

“Song Rao…”

Squinting against the glaring sunlight, Jiang Yi opened her eyes.

When she saw the somewhat familiar decor, she blinked in disbelief.

This was…

Shen Siyun’s apartment?!

Why was she here?

Before she could think it through, the sensation against her body told her that she was not wearing anything.

Dazed, Jiang Yi sat up and turned toward the mirror.

The spotless glass reflected her fair, smooth back.

But she felt no relief.

The absence of marks did not mean nothing had happened.

At the very least, someone had taken off all her clothes, which meant they had seen everything.

The only person who could enter this apartment was Shen Siyun.

Jiang Yi closed her eyes, unable to stop them from reddening.

In that woman’s eyes, was marriage nothing more than a certificate?

For someone as powerful and wealthy as Shen Siyun, did it have no restraining force whatsoever?

Even after Jiang Yi had married someone else, Shen Siyun could still abduct her and sleep with her whenever she wished.

Jiang Yi wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, picked up her phone from the bedside table, and opened her contacts while continuing to cry.

The moment the call connected, all her grievance surged into her throat.

“Song Rao…”

In the apartment’s living room, Shen Siyun had changed into a white blouse and a fitted black skirt that outlined her graceful curves.

While fastening square ruby earrings, she emerged from the bedroom.

She picked up the vibrating phone from the table and parted her red lips.

“Hello.”

Ding Lanqi’s voice came through the phone.

“President Shen, you have a meeting at ten this morning. I’m driving now and should arrive downstairs in about ten minutes.”

As Shen Siyun listened to Ding Lanqi report her schedule for the day, she suddenly heard a bedroom door opening to her left.

Still holding the phone, she turned her head.

Her breath caught instantly.

The door had only opened halfway.

That familiar figure stood in the doorway, staring at her with bloodshot eyes. She had clearly been crying.

Yet the most important thing was not that Jiang Yi had cried.

It was that she stood there completely naked, her figure reflected in the polished white tiles.

She looked at Shen Siyun with an expression Shen Siyun could not understand.

Calm, yet filled with resentment, grievance, and an unmistakable coldness.

“Shen Siyun, are you proud of abducting a married woman and sleeping with her?”

Jiang Yi lifted her eyelids and mocked her softly, struggling to suppress the grievance she had swallowed moments earlier.

Hearing those words, Ding Lanqi exclaimed in shock, “President Shen?”

“I understand. We’ll talk later.”

Keeping her gaze fixed on Jiang Yi, Shen Siyun ended the call and tightened her jaw.

“Say that again.”

“Shen Siyun, are you proud of abducting a married woman and sleeping with her?”

Standing motionless in the doorway, Jiang Yi gripped the handle with her right hand and held her phone in the other. Her eyes were rimmed red as she repeated the sentence.

A scoff sounded in the room.

Then another, as though Shen Siyun had heard something extraordinarily ridiculous.

Suddenly, she strode toward Jiang Yi in her high heels.

Frightened by the cold fury on Shen Siyun’s face, Jiang Yi took a small step backward.

With one forceful tug, her phone was snatched away.

During the few seconds before the call connected, Shen Siyun closed her eyes tightly. The force of it deepened the folds around her shadowed eye sockets.

“Hello, this is Song Rao.”

The moment the call connected, Shen Siyun put it on speakerphone and asked coldly through suppressed anger, “Song Rao, last night you said you were busy with an experiment and couldn’t get away, so you asked me to take care of your wife. Did you say that or not?”

“Shen Siyun, what are you talking about?”

Jiang Yi stared at her coldly.

“Yesterday was the weekend. Forget that the university doesn’t hold classes on weekends—Song Rao was shopping with me. She didn’t even have time to return to the laboratory. How could she possibly have been busy with an experiment? You can even invent a lie like that.”

Shen Siyun cut her a sharp glance but did not respond.

She was waiting for Song Rao to admit it.

“President Shen, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Song Rao’s voice over the phone was gentle and kind, calm without the slightest hint of arrogance.

“How could I possibly entrust my wife to you? You’re her former patron. Do you think I would be so careless as to let you take care of my intoxicated wife?

“President Shen, if you were in my position, would you do such a thing?”

“Song Rao, you set me up again.”

Shen Siyun finally understood what had felt wrong the previous night.

Song Rao had never been busy at all.

She had deliberately pushed Jiang Yi into becoming utterly disappointed in Shen Siyun, setting a trap and inviting her to walk straight into it.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Siyun decisively ended the call and looked at Jiang Yi.

“Last night, Zhang Mengqi got you drunk. You called me yourself and asked me to come save you.”

“Yes, you did save me. I already confirmed that with Song Rao. But it’s also true that after saving me, you brought me directly to your apartment and slept with me.”

“I didn’t touch you.”

“Then did I remove all these clothes myself?”

“…”

“You took them off with your own hands, didn’t you?”

“But—”

“You only need to answer yes or no.”

Jiang Yi’s eyes were already brimming with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall and forced them back.

“Yes or no? Shen Siyun, answer me.”

For the first time, Shen Siyun experienced what it meant to be unable to defend herself despite having a hundred mouths.

Her lips were painted a vivid red, yet at that moment, she felt unbearably cold.

“I took them off.”

“Did my black stockings feel good?”

“…Yes.”

Shen Siyun clenched her fingertips.

“I won’t deny that I brought you back to this apartment and removed your clothes. But Song Rao genuinely said those things to me. She personally asked me to take care of you.

“Jiang Yi, believe me. That Song Rao is not a good person.”

“And you are?”

A cold scoff escaped Jiang Yi’s throat.

She looked at Shen Siyun with icy indifference.

“My wife loves me very much. President Shen should stop using those contemptible tricks to drive a wedge between us. They won’t work.”

A long silence filled the room.

“Do you even understand what it means to drive a wedge between people?”

Suddenly, Shen Siyun threw the phone onto the sofa and laughed coldly.

“Do you understand what it means to sleep with a married woman?”

“Shen Siyun, what are you doing?!”

Jiang Yi’s gaze followed the phone as it landed on the springy sofa, then returned to Shen Siyun.

The moment their eyes met, Jiang Yi’s heart jolted violently.

“Jiang Yi!”

A furious shout exploded beside her ear.

Before Jiang Yi could react, Shen Siyun seized her wrist and dragged her toward the bedroom.

Realizing what the enraged woman intended to do, fear surged through Jiang Yi.

Terrified and panicked, she pulled backward with all her strength.

“Shen Siyun, you lunatic! You can’t touch me!”

Her feet caught against the base of the bed, and she fell heavily onto it, sinking into the soft, thin blanket.

Before she could push herself upright, Shen Siyun restrained her.

Both hands were pinned above her head.

Jiang Yi felt a flash of regret.

She regretted rushing out to confront Shen Siyun without putting on clothes first.

When the woman’s warm palm touched her, Jiang Yi angrily rubbed it away.

“Don’t touch me! Shen Siyun, go away!”

Shen Siyun truly did not continue.

She merely raised her palm in front of Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi looked once, then angrily turned her face away.

On that long-fingered hand…

“Does Song Rao know you still love me this much?”

Shen Siyun mocked heavily beside her ear.

“Don’t you love her?”

“Shen Siyun… it’s only a physical reaction.”

Jiang Yi was both humiliated and furious.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked at the front door.

The bedroom door had not been closed, and Song Rao’s voice could faintly be heard outside.

“Song Rao!”

Taking advantage of Shen Siyun’s momentary distraction, Jiang Yi broke free and stumbled aside. She grabbed her clothes and began dressing in a flustered rush.

Shen Siyun, meanwhile, sat leisurely on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed.

Silver high heels adorned her slender, porcelain-white ankles, while one elbow rested against her knee.

“Has she tasted you?”

“You pervert.”

Jiang Yi’s hands paused while pulling on her stockings, and she cursed without lifting her head.

“I have.”

Shen Siyun licked her fingers several times while watching Jiang Yi finish dressing and reach for her phone and bag.

She called after her.

With a cold smile, she said, “Go home and tell her that her wife tastes sweet. I’ve confirmed it personally.”

Jiang Yi nearly stumbled.

She turned and glared at Shen Siyun.

“I already told you my wife loves me. Do you think something like this could drive us apart?”

Leaving those words behind, she opened the apartment door without looking back and embraced Song Rao.

“Song Rao, you came.”

“Mm. I’m here to take you home.”

Their voices drifted in from outside.

Shen Siyun collapsed backward onto the bed, listening as their footsteps grew increasingly distant.

Before long, the sound of a car starting echoed twice from the residential complex below.

Shen Siyun laughed bitterly at herself.

She had actually allowed those two women to toy with her completely.

Ding Lanqi came upstairs.

Seeing the apartment door open, she hesitated before knocking twice.

“President Shen? Are you home? It’s nearly time for the meet—”

Her voice abruptly cut off.

Ding Lanqi looked at the woman emerging from the bedroom and tactfully closed her mouth.

President Shen’s expression looked dreadful today.

It probably had something to do with that phrase about “abducting a married woman to sleep with,” Ding Lanqi thought.

“Are you waiting for me to brew you a pot of tea before we leave?”

President Shen’s voice was several degrees colder than when she had first learned her little lover had married someone else.

“No need.”

Ding Lanqi gave an awkward smile and cautiously followed Shen Siyun out, driving her to the company for the meeting.

Jiang Yi sat in the passenger seat and rubbed between her brows.

“Stop thinking about it. Think of something pleasant instead.”

Song Rao glanced at her while driving.

She could not help recalling the phone call Jiang Yi had made that morning, and her gaze chilled.

“Are you going to work today, or should I request leave for you?”

It was Monday, so Jiang Yi was supposed to return to work.

But after something like this, Song Rao feared she would remain depressed.

“I need to answer this call first.”

Jiang Yi accepted an incoming call.

“Hello?”

Lin Fei’s voice came through.

“Jiang Yi, were you all right yesterday? I heard Boss Zhang was hospitalized and even broke a finger bone. What happened?”

Jiang Yi’s thoughts were also in chaos.

“It’s difficult to explain quickly. I’ll tell you when I get to the office.”

“Song Rao, take me to the company.”

Song Rao nodded.

“All right.”

When they arrived at Qiguang Trading, Jiang Yi was about to open the door and get out when Song Rao stopped her.

“There are clean clothes in the back seat. Take them upstairs and change if you want.”

Jiang Yi was particular about cleanliness. No matter how much she liked an outfit, she would never wear it for two consecutive days.

Jiang Yi paused, then smiled with relief and opened the rear door.

“I’ll take them and change.”

“I’ll wait here. After changing, bring those clothes back to the car. I’ll take them home and wash them.”

“All right.”

Jiang Yi went to the restroom and changed out of the knitted fitted dress and black stockings she had worn all day.

She folded them neatly into a bag and handed it to Song Rao.

“I’m going to work now.”

At some point, Song Rao had stepped out of the car and was waiting beside it.

Seeing Jiang Yi emerge, she smiled gently.

Jiang Yi wore a coffee-brown top with a deep V-neck that revealed her straight, eye-catching collarbones.

She was slender, yet soft in all the right places, and paired the top with an orange-and-blue floral skirt.

Those ordinarily dull, old-fashioned colors seemed to come alive on her body. All anyone could see was her willow-slim waist and perfectly shaped curves, carrying lingering elegance and charm.

She looked as though she had stepped out of an oil painting.

“Here.”

Song Rao handed her something.

“There’s a McDonald’s nearby. I went and bought you breakfast.”

“Thank you.”

Jiang Yi had expected to work on an empty stomach that morning. She had not expected Song Rao to buy breakfast for her.

“Did you eat? Do you want some?”

Jiang Yi took a bite of the sandwich and drank some warm milk, suddenly remembering that she did not know whether Song Rao had eaten.

“I already ate.”

Song Rao prepared to get back into the car.

But after only two steps, her body swayed.

Jiang Yi hurriedly placed the milk and sandwich on the hood and asked anxiously, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

Song Rao steadied herself.

“I probably didn’t sleep well last night. My blood sugar is low.”

“I should go with you to see a doctor. I won’t feel at ease leaving you like this.”

Jiang Yi silently cursed Shen Siyun again.

If Shen Siyun had not taken her away without saying anything, Song Rao would not have stayed awake all night worrying.

She moved to support her, but Song Rao gently pushed her hand aside.

“Go to work. I’m fine. I’ll rest in the car for a while.”

Jiang Yi remained worried.

“Forget it. I’ll request leave.”

“There’s no need.”

Song Rao stood firmly again, her expression returning to normal.

“I told you it’s only low blood sugar. I’ll buy some chocolate later. Go upstairs. You’re going to be late.”

Seeing Song Rao insist, Jiang Yi could only agree.

She picked up her milk and sandwich and walked toward the company entrance.

The elevator chimed.

Jiang Yi had barely sat down at her workstation with her bag when Lin Fei came over.

“Are you all right, Jiang Yi?”

“I’m fine. I’m doing well.”

Lin Fei indicated the opposite side with her eyes, then leaned closer and whispered, “You took Ye Sixin home last night, stopping her from signing the contract, and Boss Zhang ended up in the hospital. The partnership is probably ruined. She seems full of resentment toward you.”

Following her gaze, Jiang Yi saw Ye Sixin at the desk opposite, looking at her resentfully before angrily striking the keyboard.

Jiang Yi was utterly speechless.

She had kindly dragged the girl out of a dangerous situation, yet Ye Sixin was blaming her?

“Jiang Yi, what is that?”

Lin Fei looked surprised when Jiang Yi pulled a document from her bag.

“Who said I failed to secure the contract?”

Irritated, Jiang Yi handed it over.

“Next time something like this happens, don’t call me. I worked hard and received nothing but complaints.”

Lin Fei flipped to the final page.

Boss Zhang’s signature was indeed there.

“Not bad, Jiang Yi. You worked hard.”

She turned and brought it to Ye Sixin.

“Here, Sixin. Jiang Yi negotiated it successfully for you.”

“Ah…”

Ye Sixin stared at the contract in disbelief.

“She really got it signed?”

Lin Fei nodded.

“Don’t be so impulsive in the future. You can always earn less money, but the most important thing for a young woman is protecting herself.

“Boss Zhang likes taking advantage of women. I was the one who sent Jiang Yi over. She did it for your own good.”

“I’m sorry, Team Leader. I won’t do that again.”

Ye Sixin bit her lower lip, her face filled with guilt.

“I just wanted to secure the partnership too badly.”

She had been at the company for more than a month without achieving anything.

Even when she went to investigate Pengting with Wang Yiwen and Li Huanran last time, she had only gotten in the way and annoyed everyone.

“She’s angry with you now. Go apologize to her.”

“All right.”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yi was called into the boss’s office.

Qiguang’s boss was a middle-aged man named Shi Baobin. With his round, pleasant features, he had the look of someone blessed with good fortune.

“Jiang Yi, I heard you took over from Ye Sixin midway through yesterday’s negotiations with Boss Zhang, right?”

“That was me. What happened?”

Boss Shi rested both hands on the desk, his ten fingers fidgeting rapidly. He sighed.

“Could you tell me what happened yesterday? Boss Zhang is currently in the hospital, and one of his finger bones is fractured. We need to express some kind of concern on our end.”

“I don’t know anything about the fractured finger. Yesterday, he kept forcing me to drink. He couldn’t outdrink me, started belting out songs, and then tripped over himself. He probably injured his finger when he fell.”

“You worked hard. He didn’t manage to take advantage of you, did he?”

Boss Shi was still genuinely concerned about his employee’s safety.

However, the incident had already happened, and the contract had been signed. He did not want to sour relations with a business partner, so he could only give her a few reminders.

“In the future, when you encounter someone like that, try to send a male colleague. Young women should avoid going.”

Jiang Yi shook her head.

“I understand, Boss. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”

“Wait. Get ready and bring that intern with you. The three of us are going to the hospital to visit Boss Zhang.”

“All right.”

When Jiang Yi left the office, she found a steaming cup of coffee on her desk.

Who had made it for her?

“It was me. I’m sorry, Jiang Yi. I misunderstood you.”

Ye Sixin approached with her head lowered and apologized.

However, Jiang Yi did not immediately forgive her. She replied in a strictly businesslike tone, “Get ready. The boss is taking us to the hospital to visit Boss Zhang.”

“Ah? All right.”

Ye Sixin awkwardly returned to her workstation.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Is everyone ready?”

Boss Shi put on his suit jacket and emerged from his office with a black leather briefcase tucked beneath his arm, calling the two of them along.

They got into the car and drove for a while before it suddenly stopped by the roadside.

Sitting in the back, Ye Sixin and Jiang Yi watched in confusion as their boss got out and ran into a fruit shop. Less than two minutes later, he returned carrying a basket of fruit.

“Mandarins cost fifteen yuan for three jin today, and they even charged me another twenty yuan for the basket and packaging. What a rip-off.”

Boss Shi clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, closed the door, stepped on the accelerator, and continued driving.

“…”

Jiang Yi glanced at the basket of mandarins on the passenger seat.

It looked like barely three jin, and the total cost could not have exceeded fifty yuan.

Lin Fei had previously told her that Boss Shi was extremely frugal, but Jiang Yi had not expected him to visit a patient—who was also a business partner—with thirty-five yuan’s worth of mandarins.

She did not know whether to laugh or cry.

When they arrived at the hospital, Boss Shi decisively handed the basket to Jiang Yi and led them upstairs.

Boss Zhang was staying in Room 4041.

Jiang Yi heard that the doctors had made him gag several times the previous night. In a sense, he had narrowly escaped death more than once.

“Yes, yes. President Shen is very thoughtful. I’m currently in the hospital, but this afternoon, I’ll personally bring the contract and discuss it with you.”

Inside the room, Boss Zhang had just ended a call. His face was filled with delight, as though he had landed another profitable opportunity.

He did not care much about the shabby basket of mandarins Boss Shi had brought.

Smiling, he said, “Boss Shi, you were very thoughtful. I drank too much yesterday and embarrassed you. I’m truly sorry.”

Zhang Mengqi was skilled at concealing his filthy intentions beneath a respectable exterior.

They were all capitalists. Who did not have a few hidden motives?

Understanding without saying anything, Boss Shi asked, “Then Boss Zhang, is your finger all right? I heard the bone was fractured.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I probably hit the chair when I fell. It had nothing to do with your subordinate, so don’t blame yourselves.”

“In that case, we’ll be leaving.”

Boss Zhang could not wait for them to go. He needed to complete his discharge procedures immediately—there was still a major deal to negotiate that afternoon.

“All right. Take care. I won’t see you out.”

After the polite exchange, Boss Shi wasted no time and led the two women back toward the company.

The three stood outside the elevator, waiting for the floor numbers to rise.

With a ding, the doors opened.

Unexpectedly, two of the three people outside changed expressions at the same time.

Ye Sixin looked at the two women inside the elevator, then glanced at Jiang Yi and Boss Shi, who had stopped walking.

“What’s wrong? The elevator’s here. Aren’t we getting in?”

The moment she spoke, the woman inside stepped out in high heels. Without looking, she handed the document in her hand to the female employee beside her, who appeared to be a secretary.

The employee hurriedly accepted it.

“Long time no see, Boss Shi.”

Shen Siyun extended her hand toward Shi Baobin. Her gaze swept lightly over Jiang Yi behind him, while her red lips pressed together.

“I’ve long heard of you, President Shen.”

Boss Shi’s expression changed several times in that instant.

Finally recovering the authority of a company president, he adopted a stern expression and magnanimously reached out to shake her hand.

“I never expected to encounter President Shen here. It’s truly an honor for me.”

“Boss Shi is still so… humorous.”

Shen Siyun laughed softly, appearing as warm as a spring breeze and naturally inspiring goodwill.

Ye Sixin did not know who this woman was.

Had she known that this was the president of Jiayu—the same woman Lin Fei had said once snatched a hardware-equipment project from their boss and nearly angered him to death—she probably would not have spoken next.

She laughed along with Shen Siyun.

“Our boss has always been that humorous.”

The moment she said it, everyone looked at her.

Jiang Yi held her forehead in pain.

Boss Shi’s expression became peculiar and ugly.

Only Shen Siyun and Ding Lanqi could not suppress their laughter.

“Your young employee is quite interesting.”

After all, employees who mocked their own boss in front of outsiders were rare.

“President Shen is joking. This young employee of mine still requires plenty of training.”

Boss Shi practically squeezed each word through his teeth.

Once they finished exchanging pleasantries, Boss Shi led the two women past Shen Siyun and Ding Lanqi and entered the elevator.

Jiang Yi walked past Shen Siyun without pausing in the slightest.

Likewise, Shen Siyun’s expression did not change as she led Ding Lanqi straight ahead.

When the three reached the first floor, Boss Shi looked at Ye Sixin, sighed, then shook his head.

“Get in the car.”

Jiang Yi and Ye Sixin nodded.

“Wait. I left my genuine leather briefcase upstairs.”

Boss Shi patted his pockets.

“The car keys are inside too.”

Even drinking water could get stuck between his teeth today.

Boss Shi looked miserable.

Jiang Yi felt a little sorry for him.

Only a few minutes earlier, Shen Siyun—the competitor who had once stolen his project—had mocked him indirectly. Then his own subordinate ridiculed him to his face. Now he had forgotten his bag.

Today was probably an inauspicious day for Boss Shi to leave home.

She volunteered.

“Boss, I’ll go upstairs and get it for you.”

“That works. It’ll save me from running into Shen Siyun again.”

Boss Shi told her to hurry back.

Jiang Yi reentered the hospital, took the elevator upstairs, and stopped outside Room 4041.

She knocked.

“Boss Zhang, it’s Jiang Yi. My boss left his black leather briefcase in your room. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

After receiving permission, Jiang Yi pushed open the door.

The moment she entered, she saw two familiar figures.

Shen Siyun and Ding Lanqi stood beside Zhang Mengqi’s bed, handing him a document.

When Jiang Yi came in, their movements paused briefly.

“Boss Zhang, this is the contract. Please review it and see whether there are any issues,” Shen Siyun said.

“President Shen, I’m sorry you had to make the trip. I was planning to go downstairs and visit you personally.”

Zhang Mengqi opened the contract.

It concerned the same batch of electronic components from their previous discussion. He did have a stockpile in his warehouse, but the required supply volume listed in the contract had doubled.

These 40M-frequency dual-channel board components were items he had previously bought cheaply and stockpiled.

By coincidence, Shen Siyun now wanted to acquire them at a high price.

He was the only person on the market capable of immediately supplying one hundred thousand units, so it was no wonder that Shen Siyun had ultimately chosen to cooperate with him.

However, the quantity had now doubled from their previous agreement.

Zhang Mengqi hesitated.

Although doubling the volume meant doubling his profit, he could not produce that much inventory at once.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Ding Lanqi said, “Boss Zhang, we’ll be using installment payments. Within two months of receiving the first payment, you only need to supply one hundred and fifty thousand units. After receiving the second payment, you’ll have another two months to provide the remaining fifty thousand dual-channel boards.”

One hundred and fifty thousand units in the first shipment…

That was fifty thousand more than he currently had in his warehouse.

After thinking about it, Zhang Mengqi decided it should not be a major problem. At worst, he could purchase additional stock elsewhere to make up the difference.

Once the first payment arrived, finding the remaining fifty thousand units would not be difficult either.

After weighing it carefully, Zhang Mengqi picked up the pen and signed the contract without further hesitation.

“Then I look forward to a pleasant partnership.”

Zhang Mengqi laughed heartily.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Yi retrieving the bag and casually asked, “Hey, did you find it?”

“I found it.”

Jiang Yi picked up Boss Shi’s briefcase and glanced at the contract Ding Lanqi was putting away, her expression extremely complicated.

Shen Siyun was actually working with Boss Zhang.

Jiang Yi knew exactly what kind of person Boss Zhang was.

Had she not already signed a contract with him on Ye Sixin’s behalf, she would never have shown him the slightest courtesy.

“Give Boss Shi my regards later.”

Boss Zhang drank some water, clearly in an excellent mood.

Jiang Yi nodded carelessly, opened the door, and left.

At Jiayu Group, Shen Siyun had barely returned from the hospital and sat down in her office when Xin Wenyue arrived.

“Shen Siyun, seriously? Someone set you up again?”

Xin Wenyue found it unbelievable.

“I told you that Song Rao was no good. Look at her—she actually denied saying those things. She obviously framed you.”

“Now your little niece hates you to the bone. She’s convinced you’re a vicious criminal who abducts innocent married women and destroys other people’s families.”

With such a reputation attached to her, Shen Siyun had almost no chance of recovering.

As for winning back her little lover’s heart, that was nothing more than a hopeless fantasy.

Of course, Xin Wenyue was on Shen Siyun’s side.

Seeing that her expression was poor, she stopped rubbing salt into the wound.

“I had someone register the shell company. I also recruited a few employees. What do we do next?”

“Let it operate for half a month first. We’ll see how well they can cooperate.”

Shen Siyun picked up the dedicated office phone.

“Lanqi, arrange meetings tomorrow with Boss Li Ding and Boss Li Guozhi.”

Xin Wenyue clicked her tongue.

“Were you hit so hard that you plan to turn into a workaholic and numb your shattered heart?”

“If you truly have nothing to do, go sit at the village entrance and stitch shoe soles.”

“…”

“Fine. I’m leaving.”

Xin Wenyue could not be bothered interfering further in Shen Siyun’s romantic mess. She turned and called a close friend to arrange afternoon tea.

Just as she was about to leave, her troublesome younger brother called.

The moment she answered, he began wailing like a ghost.

“Sis! What exactly did you do yesterday? The passenger you drove—the one whose phone number ends in 2791—gave me a one-star review! One star! She only submitted it just now!”

Xin Wenyue froze.

Then rage erupted through her.

She turned toward Shen Siyun.

“Look at what your little lover did! I didn’t throw her out, and I even accelerated when she demanded it. Then she turned around and gave me one star! She must be using the review to settle a personal grudge!”

This was outrageous!

Giving her brother a one-star review was equivalent to giving Xin Wenyue one.

Was that not indirectly humiliating her?

“Shen Siyun, this definitely happened because of you. My brother and I were dragged into your mess and received a one-star review.”

Shen Siyun stopped signing the document before her and looked coldly at her.

“What did she write in the review?”

Xin Wenyue held up the phone and asked her brother, “What did she write?”

Her brother replied, “She said she booked a private ride, but you made her share the car with another passenger while still charging her the private-ride fare.”

When he finished, silence filled the office.

Xin Wenyue and Shen Siyun looked at each other.

That reason was genuinely difficult to refute.

Shen Siyun had been in the car at the time.

Xin Wenyue could hardly have thrown her friend out and made a special trip solely for Jiang Yi.

But that was still no reason to leave a poor review.

Xin Wenyue was one hundred percent certain that Jiang Yi had mixed personal resentment into that rating.

“Shen Siyun, do you want to vent your anger?”

Xin Wenyue could not swallow this grievance.

The married couple, Jiang Yi and Song Rao, had nearly angered both her and Shen Siyun to death, using one scheme after another.

At those words, Shen Siyun pressed her red lips into a straight line.

Remembering Jiang Yi’s accusatory tone that morning, frustration lodged in her chest and refused to dissipate.

Her gaze chilled.

“What idea do you have?”

…

Near the end of the workday, Boss Shi suddenly emerged from his office to give everyone an impassioned speech.

“Lin Fei, you’re the team leader. You need to set an example and command the team properly. You must overcome every difficulty in this real-estate coating project.

“Even though your competitors are Jiayu and Pengting, you absolutely cannot lose to either of them. I have great confidence in all your abilities. You can definitely win this project!”

After the motivational speech, everyone was excited.

However, the moment the workday ended, they all packed their things and went home as usual.

Jiang Yi was no exception.

She had no particular fondness for overtime.

Before leaving, she glanced at the slightly haggard Boss Shi.

Shen Siyun had probably angered him again today, which was why he had suddenly come out to fire them up.

After leaving the office building, Jiang Yi suddenly sneezed.

“Are you catching a cold?”

Song Rao had driven over to pick her up on the way. Seeing her sneeze, she asked with concern.

“Probably not.”

Jiang Yi shook her head.

“By the way, I may need to go on a business trip tomorrow.”

Zuo Jinrong, the major coating supplier, had returned from Nanming City the previous day.

Lin Fei had timed it perfectly and approached him for negotiations, only for him to prove difficult, repeatedly saying he needed more time to consider.

Lin Fei suspected his attitude was because Yin Lei’s side had already met with him.

He was probably deliberately encouraging the two companies to compete against each other and see which showed greater sincerity.

To secure Zuo Jinrong, Lin Fei learned that he would be traveling to Wuhai Island for the next two days to discuss a business deal and enjoy a short vacation.

She therefore planned to take Jiang Yi, Yan Zhijie, and Ye Sixin there personally to pursue negotiations.

While driving, Song Rao said, “It’ll probably be very hot on Wuhai Island. Remember to bring plenty of sun protection.”

“I know.”

Early the next morning, Jiang Yi hurried to the airport and met up with Lin Fei and the others.

After a three-hour flight, they arrived on Wuhai Island.

Wearing sunglasses and jeans, Lin Fei checked the navigation.

“I heard Zuo Jinrong will be staying at the InterContinental Hotel in Hexin New City.”

“The sun here is vicious.”

Ye Sixin held up an umbrella, feeling as though it were still summer.

It was already October and officially autumn.

They hailed a car and traveled to the InterContinental Hotel in Hexin New City.

The hotel had an enormous spherical design, grand and imposing. It stood near the ocean, and when illuminated at night, it gave off an extravagant, golden splendor.

“Hello. We’d like to check in. Four guests—one single room and one room with a large bed.”

Lin Fei handled the check-in arrangements while Jiang Yi, Yan Zhijie, and Ye Sixin stood beside her.

Suddenly, Jiang Yi caught sight of a tall figure from the corner of her eye—a short tied-back tail and the familiar green-faced quartz watch on her wrist.

“S-Sister Lin Fei, it’s Yin Lei!”

Yan Zhijie was the first to speak, immediately panicking.

“It isn’t only Yin Lei. Several of the colleagues she brought are here too,” Jiang Yi added.

“Move, move!”

After receiving the room cards, Lin Fei urged them, “Don’t let them see that we’re here too.”

Given Yin Lei’s intelligence, there was an eighty-percent chance she would guess they had come to intercept the coating supplier Jiayu wanted to work with.

Then things would become extremely difficult!

The four of them hurried away to the left, dragging their suitcases.

Inside the elevator, Lin Fei thought it over and realized this could not continue.

If they encountered Yin Lei’s group face-to-face, wouldn’t their cover be immediately exposed?

“We need an explanation for why we’re here,” Lin Fei said.

“Try not to let all four of us appear together,” Jiang Yi suggested after considering it. “It would be best to move in pairs. Even if we run into them, we can say we came here on vacation.”

Going on vacation with one coworker was perfectly normal.

Going on vacation with three coworkers was much more suspicious.

There was no way they could fool Yin Lei’s group.

The elevator was slow, with people entering or leaving on almost every floor.

At last, it became empty, and they were nearly at the floor where their rooms were located.

“Hello, this is Yin Lei. President Shen is personally coming tomorrow to negotiate with Boss Zuo? We’ve already arrived at the InterContinental Hotel and are preparing to check in. Should we reserve a suite for President Shen?”

A familiar voice suddenly sounded outside the elevator doors.

Everyone inside was thrown into chaos.

“Press it! Hurry and press it!”

Lin Fei repeatedly smacked Yan Zhijie’s backpack, since he was closest to the floor buttons, urging him to select another level.

“I’m pressing it! I’m pressing it!”

Cold sweat poured from Yan Zhijie’s forehead.

Who could have imagined that Yin Lei and her colleagues would be staying on the same floor—and had even arrived before them?

Judging by the sound, they were standing directly outside the elevator, separated from the group by nothing more than the doors.

And those doors were slowly beginning to open!