Chapter 9: It feels like... an affair.

Wen Jianan took Cheng He to a congee restaurant popular with the locals.

After ordering, Wen Jianan poured him some tea and started the conversation with a laugh: "We’re in trouble. Now that you’re here, my mother is even more convinced that we’re a done deal."

"My family has felt that way for a long time," Cheng He replied, feeling both amused and helpless.

Wen Jianan pursed her lips. "So, Director Cheng, what are your plans?"

Cheng He looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and replied with gentlemanly flair: "Ladies first. Why don't you start?"

Wen Jianan didn't decline. She was a straightforward person; if she wanted to do something, she did it, and she didn't like wasting time on things she deemed unnecessary.

Cheng He’s intentions were quite the opposite.

He asked with a playful tone: "Are you willing to admit now that the reason you said you were interested in me before was because of the project?"

Wen Jianan gave a sheepish laugh.

Fortunately, Cheng He didn't press the matter.

"I actually think we could reach a consensus to deal with our parents. Otherwise, there will be no end to this, and we’ll be overwhelmed."

"You mean...?" Wen Jianan asked, surprised.

Cheng He smiled mysteriously, leaving it implied.

"But what if they tell us to get married?"

Wen Jianan knew very well that one lie leads to countless others just to cover it up.

Cheng He didn't hesitate: "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. The important thing is to resolve the immediate predicament. I’m just making a suggestion; it’s fine if you don’t agree, but think it over. If you want me to cooperate with you in telling our elders that we aren't a good match, my aunt and uncle will definitely just keep arranging more dates, and others might not be as easy to talk to as I am."

There was truth in his words. Wen Jianan pondered for a moment, then began to feel troubled again.

"Do you know that I..."

Before she could finish, Wen Jianan suddenly spotted a familiar figure walking down from the floor above.

Who else could it be but Liang Yuxiu?

Accompanying him was that friend of Wei Ming’s, whose surname was Peng. He was a local, so it wasn't strange for him to bring Liang Yuxiu to a place like this. Still, Wen Jianan was left stunned.

Cheng He followed her gaze, meeting the eyes of the two men.

"Jianan, what a coincidence. You’re here for breakfast too?" Wei Ming’s friend walked over, acting as if he had just noticed Cheng He. "And who is this?"

"Good morning, Mr. Peng," Wen Jianan said awkwardly, telling the truth: "This is my friend, and he’s also a director at Quantum."

When Mr. Peng heard this, he was surprised and jokingly scolded Wei Ming: "Your Director Wei is quite underhanded. He knows you have a friend at Quantum, yet he had me ask to introduce him to Mr. Liang."

"Mr. Liang is the lead project manager, after all," Wen Jianan said with a smile.

Mr. Peng reached out to shake hands with Cheng He. Cheng He stood up to respond, then nodded at Liang Yuxiu in greeting.

"Mr. Peng, let’s not disturb Team Leader Wen and Director Cheng, lest we be blamed for it."

Liang Yuxiu walked up behind Mr. Peng. Although he was smiling, his words sounded inexplicably sarcastic.

Wen Jianan felt his personality had become even more eccentric than it was a few years ago. She didn't understand him, nor did she want to, so she simply returned a polite smile to Mr. Peng’s puzzled look and said nothing.

Mr. Peng seemed half-confused, but he bid them farewell and left with Liang Yuxiu.

Cheng He suddenly called out to Liang Yuxiu, asking if he wanted to head back to Yancheng together. Liang Yuxiu just waved him off.

"That guy." Cheng He chuckled and sat back down.

Only then did Wen Jianan have a chance to ask about the purpose of Liang Yuxiu’s trip. Cheng He explained: "We’re looking for a new manufacturing partner for some spare parts. There’s a factory here that meets our requirements, and he didn't feel comfortable leaving it to others, so he came to see it himself."

Wen Jianan had an epiphany.

Before they finished breakfast, Tan Fang called to remind Wen Jianan not to eat too much, as the family had prepared lunch to host Cheng He. Wen Jianan could only sigh and rub her forehead.

On the way back, they talked more and finally reached a consensus: they would pretend to be a couple to keep their parents off their backs. Work was likely to be very busy, and Wen Jianan hoped that Tan Fang would be satisfied for a while.

At noon, Cheng He had lunch at the Wen home. After he left, Wen Jianan told her parents, Wen Shaoru and Tan Fang, that she and Cheng He had decided to give it a try.

Tan Fang was overjoyed and didn't forget to remind her: "Get along well, don't be too temperamental, and don't be willful."

Wen Jianan gave a vague response. Looking down at her phone, she saw a message from Liang Yuxiu: *Flight tonight. The earrings. Come quickly.*

Wen Jianan went straight to her room, changed her clothes, and told Tan Fang she had to go back to the office for overtime before heading out in a hurry.

She took a taxi to the hotel where Liang Yuxiu was staying. Instead of going up, she called him first. She was glad she did, because the moment the call connected, she heard Cheng He’s voice. He was with Liang Yuxiu!

"You're here?" Liang Yuxiu’s voice was low and carried a strange, inscrutable depth.

It made Wen Jianan feel as if she were... having an affair. She shook herself out of it in a second, silently cursing herself for being crazy.

"Yes," Wen Jianan said, regaining her composure. "Something came up. Could you trouble yourself to bring them down?"

Liang Yuxiu acted as if he didn't know her intentions: "Wait."

Three minutes later, Liang Yuxiu appeared in the hotel lobby. Wen Jianan saw him immediately.

Liang Yuxiu didn't say a word and handed her the earrings.

"Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Liang," Wen Jianan said with a polite smile.

Little did she know, that smile looked unpleasant, even jarring, to Liang Yuxiu. He had seen her at the congee restaurant that morning; she had been able to smile so vividly and genuinely at Cheng He, just as she used to with him. But now, when she looked at him, she was polite and distant, as if she couldn't wait to cut all ties, as if that past between them had never existed.

To be honest, he was annoyed.

The words that slipped out were sharp: "What? Is Team Leader Wen so important and busy that you're in a rush to get to your next appointment?"

Wen Jianan had just put the earrings away when she heard this, and she frowned. She sensed Liang Yuxiu’s hostility toward her, though she didn't know why.

"Mr. Liang, you seem to have a lot of opinions about me."

It was a statement, and Liang Yuxiu didn't deny it.

"I’m just here to remind you: don't bite off more than you can chew. If you’re still thinking about landing a wealthy husband, I can tell you now that Quantum won't hand such an important project to someone like that. And don't think you can cut corners through Cheng He."

What? What was he babbling about?

Wen Jianan felt her breath hitch. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, Liang Yuxiu turned and stepped into the elevator.

"..." What a lunatic!

Wen Jianan cursed him under her breath and left in a huff.

Back in the suite, Liang Yuxiu was questioned by Cheng He: "Who was that? A woman?"

He had seen Liang Yuxiu go downstairs with a woman’s earring, and his curiosity was piqued. Had the stoic, monk-like Liang Yuxiu finally had an awakening?

Liang Yuxiu couldn't be bothered to answer him. He walked into his room and came back out a moment later, warning Cheng He not to let Wen Jianan use him or grant her any favors on the project.

Cheng He protested his innocence: "It’s a family arrangement! Besides, you took the project back to oversee it yourself. Who could pull a fast one under your nose?"

"That’s for the best."

Having said that, Liang Yuxiu closed the door, leaving Cheng He looking bewildered.