Volume 1 Chapter 12: The Episode Strikes  

Wan Li murmured a name, “Qin Ya.”  

It had been six years since he last saw Qin Ya. To be honest, his memory of her had already begun to fade.  

All he remembered was that she was a beautiful young lady with a bit of a temper.  

But he never expected Jiang Ya to have grown even more stunning over the years.  

There was something about her—an allure that even the most glamorous foreign beauties couldn’t match.  

After seeing her, Wan Li instantly felt that all the beauties he had encountered before now seemed bland in comparison.  

Hearing his voice, Jiang Ya turned her head, her doe eyes settling on Wan Li. “You are?”  

“Wan Li.”  

He wore a familiar air of arrogance as he extended his hand. “Long time no see.”  

The moment Shi Jianchuan noticed Jiang Ya’s gaze lingering on Wan Li, a restless agitation surged within him.  

Qin Ya quickly averted her eyes. “Oh, don’t remember you.”  

The indifference on her face vanished the instant she turned to Shi Jianchuan, replaced by a sweet, soft smile. “Hubby, let’s go. It’s already past twelve.”  

Seizing the opportunity, she reached out and grabbed Shi Jianchuan’s hand.  

In front of everyone, Shi Jianchuan didn’t pull away.  

Qin Ya was overjoyed, forcefully intertwining their fingers.  

The series of blows left Wan Li nearly unhinged. Raising his voice slightly, he said, “Jiang Ya, are you really pretending to forget, or are you just afraid Shi Jianchuan will find out? Back in college, it was me you liked.”  

Jiang Ya’s doe eyes widened in disbelief. “What nonsense are you spouting? The one I love most is obviously my husband.”  

“I can’t even breathe when I’m away from him. His name is carved into the tip of my heart.”  

“I love him so much that I used every trick in the book to force him into marrying me. How could I possibly like anyone else?”  

Qin Ya spun around and clung tightly to Shi Jianchuan. “Hubby, he’s just trying to sabotage our marriage on purpose.”  

Buried in Shi Jianchuan’s embrace, she didn’t see the almost predatory look in his eyes—  

A gaze so scorching it seemed to sear through her entire being.  

This scene quickly became the hottest gossip in the company, leaving everyone stunned.  

[Damn, the tabloids were actually right? Our President Shi really was the “forcibly wedded delicate husband”?]  

[President Qin is a legend.]  

[So sweet, so sweet! I’m stomping my feet and squealing into my hands at my desk.]  

[Who said their relationship was bad? Looks pretty solid to me.]  

[Rumor has it President Qin had her eyes on President Shi since college. Did all sorts of things, whether appropriate or not. Tsk tsk.]  

[Hey, elaborate on that.]  

[A friend of mine wants to know too.]  

The company group chat was in an uproar.  

Meanwhile, Qin Ya and Shi Jianchuan returned to the office.  

The moment they stepped inside, Shi Jianchuan pushed Qin Ya away and took his seat behind the desk, crossing his legs.  

Qin Ya was a little annoyed but seemed used to it.  

She unpacked the lunchbox and placed it in front of Shi Jianchuan.  

“Ta-da! Today’s feast—I packed it all myself and brought it over just for you.”  

Her face was practically begging for praise.  

Shi Jianchuan had already regained his usual composure.  

“Mm. Thanks.”  

“I don’t want thanks. Can I get something else instead?”  

Shi Jianchuan looked at her.  

Qin Ya grinned. “A kiss.”  

One side of the conference room was made of transparent glass.  

She had spent over an hour watching Shi Jianchuan from outside—  

Cool, detached, yet decisively ruthless.  

Every word he spoke made the other party pause for several seconds.

His profile was so perfect that Qin Ya often wondered if Shi Jianchuan was even real.  

She really wanted to kiss him to death, tear open his collar, and shatter that cold, indifferent facade of his.  

Qin Ya felt like she was practically starving for him.  

Shi Jianchuan, “No.”  

“Then kiss me once.”  

Those obsidian-like, translucent eyes glanced at her faintly, as if saying nothing—yet saying everything.  

Qin Ya, “Fine. I knew someone as stingy as you wouldn’t give in so easily. Damn it!”  

“A single kiss won’t cost you a piece of flesh.”  

Shi Jianchuan, “Qin Ya, how many people have you sweet-talked with that line? Including Wan Li just now?”  

“That’s so unfair! I’ve never done this with anyone else.”  

“You’re the one I like the most.”  

Shi Jianchuan’s lips twitched, his voice turning colder. “You slapped me for Wan Li.”  

He pointed to his left cheek.  

“You said you loved me, yet you left. You walked away with him. And you hit me.”  

“Qin Ya, how am I supposed to believe you?”  

The scene from that day resurfaced in Shi Jianchuan’s mind.  

It was the first time he had an episode in front of Qin Ya.  

Shi Jianchuan’s attitude had hurt her. At eighteen, the young heiress was at the height of her pride and fearlessness.  

She had always gotten everything she wanted, handed to her on a silver platter by countless admirers.  

She knew how to act cute and charming around others, but deep down, she carried her own arrogance.  

The only time she had ever been thwarted was by Shi Jianchuan—who rejected her three times.  

Even the Qin family’s little princess had her temper. After delivering a final ultimatum, she disappeared from Shi Jianchuan’s sight for days.  

Shi Jianchuan thought it was for the best. They were from different worlds, and never crossing paths again was the ideal outcome.  

He ignored the slow, creeping pain in his chest.  

Like droplets in a damp, rainy night—not sharp, but endless.  

He went about his usual routine—attending classes, working part-time, sleeping.  

The next time he heard about Qin Ya, it was from someone else’s lips.  

Qin Ya was radiant and bold, with an impressive background and excellent grades—a celebrity on campus.  

The news of her pursuing Wan Li spread like wildfire.  

Even someone as detached as Shi Jianchuan caught wind of it.  

They were seen together in the cafeteria one day.  

Then on the sports field the next.  

Soon after, Wan Li showed up in Qin Ya’s class.  

It felt like the entire campus was buzzing with rumors about them.  

One day after class, Shi Jianchuan’s feet moved on their own, leading him to Wan Li.  

He stood in the shadows, silently scrutinizing him.  

Average looks, mediocre presence. Though he wore a cold expression when turning away classmates, the smugness in his eyes was unmistakable.  

Pathetic.  

Shi Jianchuan delivered the harsh verdict in his mind.  

But then Qin Ya appeared. It had been a while since he’d seen her, and his gaze grew greedy.  

Like a wretched rat hiding in the dark, stealing glimpses of sunlight.  

He mocked Wan Li, but in truth, he was no better.  

Qin Ya seemed thinner, a trace of irritation flickering in her eyes.  

Wan Li stepped forward, took her bag, and whispered something to her.  

Her expression softened slightly before she turned and smiled at him.  

That smile was blinding—like a needle piercing straight into Shi Jianchuan’s heart. Jealousy clawed at him, driving him mad.  

He wanted to rush over and tell her—*Don’t choose anyone else. Choose me.*

What others could do, he could do too—and even better.  

As long as it was him.  

Could it be done? Only if it was him.  

In the end, he still did nothing, watching the two of them with a dark expression.