The security guards, seeing that Zang Ling had arrived, stepped aside, ready to take orders from their boss at any moment. Meanwhile, those who had skipped work to watch the commotion hurriedly returned to their posts.

They were afraid of being seen by Zang Ling.

Gossiping was important, but so was their salary.

Yuan Haolang’s face changed dramatically, turning green, then black, then green again.

He forced a smile and said, “Zang Ling, what kind of joke are you playing? You don’t know me? At least find a better excuse if you want to brush me off.”

Zang Ling thought to herself, Why should I care who you are?

“I’m from the Yuan family,” Yuan Haolang emphasized.

“I don’t know you. No matter who you are, please leave now. Otherwise…”

Yuan Haolang provoked her, “Otherwise, what?”

“I’ll call the police,” Zang Ling said expressionlessly. “You don’t want to be detained, do you?”

Yuan Haolang laughed in disbelief. He had never met such an exasperating woman.

“Go ahead, call them. I’d love to see if they even dare show up!”

This was the first time Zang Ling had encountered someone so shamelessly arrogant. She stared at Yuan Haolang coldly, her fists clenched.

She really wanted to punch this idiot.

At that moment, Yan Wenshu spoke up. “You must be Mr. Yuan. If you want to meet with Chairman Zang, you should schedule an appointment in advance. Your behavior is already causing a disturbance. Please stop immediately.”

“I haven’t even dealt with you yet, pretty boy, and now you’re stepping up to get scolded?” Yuan Haolang raised his chin and looked at him with contempt. “Zang Ling, your taste isn’t great. Do you actually like this useless thing? I really misjudged you. I thought you were a decent woman, but now…”

He clicked his tongue a few times, his meaning obvious.

[Yuan Haolang is being way too rude! He’s deliberately insulting you, Host!] the system fumed.

[Didn’t you tell me to endure it?] Yan Wenshu responded calmly.

The system hesitated, then quickly changed its stance. [Forget enduring! Why should we let him have his way? Besides, you have Zang Ling now. She should protect you, right…?]

Even as it said this, the system wasn’t entirely sure. It remembered that the male lead came from a powerful background. If he pressured Zang Ling, would she really stand by Yan Wenshu? After all, in the original novel’s plot, the male lead ultimately drove Zang Ling’s company to bankruptcy.

[Host, aren’t you even a little angry? Yuan Haolang was your enemy, wasn’t he?] The system found Yan Wenshu’s calmness unsettling. It made it wonder if it had bonded with the wrong person.

[Getting angry won’t change anything. Right now, I don’t have the power to make him fear me.]

Yan Wenshu understood Yuan Haolang well, arrogant, conceited, and dismissive of ordinary people. Over the years, only Han Lanmeng had ever caught his eye.

Yan Wenshu’s mood darkened slightly. In his past life, he had been foolish, thinking Han Lanmeng was being threatened by Yuan Haolang. Remembering how her mother had once helped him when he was young, he had done everything he could to help her escape from Yuan Haolang.

But when Yuan Haolang captured him, locked him in a dark room, and left him to beg for food like a stray dog, Han Lanmeng…

She had forgotten about him in an instant. She happily stayed by Yuan Haolang’s side. Even after they got married, she never once tried to set him free!

Zang Ling’s eyes flickered. She noticed something was off with Yan Wenshu’s emotions. Being slandered out of nowhere must have upset him…

Her lips pressed into a thin line. She turned to Yuan Haolang again, her gaze as cold as ice. “Mr. Yuan, you’re mistaken. First of all, I don’t know you. Second, Yan Wenshu is not some ‘pretty boy’—he is…”

Zang Ling hooked her arm around Yan Wenshu’s and declared firmly, “My boyfriend.”

The system was shocked, “!”

This happiness came too suddenly.

[Host! She just called you her boyfriend!]

Yan Wenshu snapped back to reality, glancing at the fair and delicate hand resting on his arm but saying nothing.

The system teased, [Are you just going to accept it? Hahaha, I can’t believe this—just when things seemed hopeless, a new path appeared! Host, you’re her boyfriend now. Who knows, maybe in the future, you’ll be her husband! Go for it!]

[Wow, we haven’t even started the romance route yet, and we’re already halfway through. That means I’ll soon have enough energy to go home! Hehehe, today is my lucky day!]

Yan Wenshu frowned slightly and quietly muted the system. Finally, his ears were at peace.

Yuan Haolang was momentarily stunned by Zang Ling’s radiant smile, but when he processed what she had just said, his face twisted in disbelief. He looked utterly betrayed. “Him? Your boyfriend? How come I didn’t know about this? When did this happen?”

Zang Ling had no intention of wasting any more time talking to him. She really didn’t understand where this lunatic had come from. She glanced at the security guards, who immediately understood her meaning. Two guards grabbed Yuan Haolang by the arms and started dragging him away.

Even from a distance, his furious voice could still be heard.

“Hey! What are you doing? Let me go!”

“Do you know who I am? How dare you treat me like this?! Zang Ling! Zang Ling! You’ll regret this! Just wait and see!”

“…”

The system watched Yuan Haolang’s miserable state and suddenly muttered, [Huh, the male lead doesn’t seem that impressive after all. The novel described him as a domineering CEO, but his IQ doesn’t seem very high… Host, how did you even end up in such a bad situation before?]

It waited for a reply, but when it didn’t get one, it finally realized—

It had been muted again.

The system’s mechanical wings drooped sadly as it let out a heavy sigh. How long will I be stuck on mute this time?

Now that the annoying troublemaker was finally gone, Zang Ling felt relieved. With nothing obstructing her, she turned to Yan Wenshu and said, “Let’s go back.”

Yan Wenshu nodded and quietly followed behind her. After closing the door, he turned around, only to find that Zang Ling hadn’t returned to her office.

She stood before him, looking into his eyes with a hint of apology. “Sorry for announcing you as my boyfriend without asking for your permission.”

“It’s all that Yuan guy’s fault, showing up at my company and acting crazy for no reason. I don’t even have any grudge against him, yet he dragged you into this and insulted you. Ugh! The more I think about it, the angrier I get!”

Yan Wenshu shook his head and poured her a cup of hot water. Zang Ling had been yelling so much that her throat was hoarse. She accepted the cup, took a sip, and immediately felt much better.

“There’s no need for you to apologize, I understand your intentions,” Yan Wenshu said. “In that situation, even if you hadn’t said anything, the company’s employees would have misunderstood me anyway. At least now, they won’t look at me with prejudice.”

At least, not openly, He thought.

His eyes were clear, his smile gentle, carrying a warmth like a spring breeze.

Zang Ling held the glass cup in both hands, staring at him intently. After a moment, she murmured, “Your parents must be really good-looking…”

“It’s true, they were very good-looking.” Yan Wenshu pressed his lips together lightly and said in a calm tone, “But good looks couldn’t make them live a few years longer.”

Zang Ling looked at his serene face and suddenly realized—what had she just said?!

Feeling regretful, she quickly apologized, “I’m sorry! I brought up something painful for you.”

“It’s okay. Actually, my parents passed away when I was very young. I’ve long been used to being alone,” he said with a slight curve of his lips.

Zang Ling muttered, “That must have been really tough on you.”

As soon as she said it, Yan Wenshu froze. No one had ever said that to him before, leaving him momentarily speechless.

In the past, whenever people heard his story, they simply treated it like an interesting tale before throwing in some words of admiration.

No one had ever cared about how he felt.

What was he feeling now? Heartwarming? Surprised? Confused? Or something else? He didn’t know, nor did he want to.

“But Yan Wenshu, you’ll have me from now on,” Zang Ling said matter-of-factly.

“…You sound very confident that we’ll be together.”

“It’s been 28 years, and I finally met someone who pleases my eyes. Do you think I’d just let that go?”

Thinking about Yan Wenshu’s strange remarks previously, she cautiously observed his expression and added, “Of course, don’t worry. I won’t force you like in those cliché novels. I’m a decent person. I won’t play that game. If, in the end, you still don’t want to be with me, then fine.”

“But given the current situation, we can only pretend to be a couple in the company for now. You won’t mind, right?” Fake things sometimes can become real with a little effort, you know?

Yan Wenshu pretended to hesitate and said, “I don’t mind. I’m just wondering if this will be troublesome for you.”

Zang Ling smiled. “Not at all. In fact, my parents have been pressuring me to get married. Later on, I might even need you to play the role of my boyfriend in front of them. Would you be okay with that?”

Yan Wenshu nodded. “I’d be happy to help.”

Zang Ling frowned slightly. “Since we’re ‘dating’ now, stop calling me so formally, definitely don’t call me Chairman Zang. Just call me Zang Ling.”

“Or… would you prefer to call me ‘Ling’ instead?” she teased.

Pausing, she hesitantly asked, “By the way… how old are you?”

“22.”

“That’s fine, not much of an age gap.”

Yan Wenshu let out a helpless smile. “Chairm—wait, why are you standing on a chair again? That’s dangerous.”

“It’s your fault for being so tall,” Zang Ling muttered. Looking down at him, she deliberately stretched out her words, “Unless—you call me ‘Ling.’ Otherwise, I won’t come down.”

Yan Wenshu seemed a little reluctant, hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “…Ling.”

In that instant, fireworks exploded in Zang Ling’s mind. She almost lost her balance, nearly toppling over. Fortunately, Yan Wenshu had been watching closely and caught her by the waist.

“Yan Wenshu,” she suddenly called.

“Chairman  Zang?”

“Zang Ling, Zang Ling, Zang Ling, Zang Ling, Zang Ling, Zang Ling.”

“…Zang…Ling.”

“Yes! Wenshu! That form I gave you earlier, fill it out and send it to me on WeChat.” She couldn’t wait to learn more about his preferences.

Yan Wenshu recalled the form he only had a glance of. It didn’t seem like a simple taste survey—it looked more like a household registration form.

“Okay.”

——

Zang Xiuming carried the last dish to the table and saw Zang Ling grinning at her phone like an idiot.

His eyes flickered as he sat down beside her and asked warmly, “Lingling, what are you looking at? Do you have a crush on someone?”

Zang Ling warily hid her phone. “Dad, why are you asking that?”

Zang Xiuming chuckled. “Can’t I ask? Be honest, Zang Ling, do you have a boyfriend?”

“No, but I do have someone I want to date. Dad, just wait—you’ll be meeting him soon.”

Zang Xiuming’s face changed slightly. “Are you serious about this?”

Sensing his strange reaction, Zang Ling grew suspicious. “Dad, you’re acting weird. Aren’t you the one who’s been nagging me to get into a relationship? Now that I’ve found someone I’m interested in, why do you look unhappy?”

Zang Xiuming looked a little guilty. “Actually… Lingling, there’s something we forgot to tell you.”

“Promise you won’t get mad when you hear it.”

Zang Ling frowned. Judging from his tone, this matter had something to do with her love life?

The next second, a blurry, pixelated face flashed in her mind (she never really got a clear look at that guy’s face), and a bad premonition hit her hard.

“Dad, don’t tell me this has something to do with that?”

Zang Xiuming hesitated before nodding. “…Yes. You see, before you were born, your grandfather made a promise to another family. If both families had a son and a daughter, they would arrange a marriage between them. And as fate would have it, we had you, and they had a boy, so… you actually have a fiancé.”

“Now, their family wants to fulfill the engagement.”

Zang Ling was fucking speechless.

“I’m already 28 years old. I’m not a child anymore. Dad, I refuse this engagement.”

“They think they can just decide for me? Who do they think we are?”

Seeing his daughter’s cold and sharp expression, Zang Xiuming immediately reassured her, “If you don’t want it, no one will force you. I would never sell my daughter. It’s just… your grandfather might not be easy to deal with.”

Anyone would be furious to find out they were supposed to be free to love whomever they wanted, only to have a roadblock appear out of nowhere.

Zang Ling had never liked her grandfather. He was a stubborn, old-fashioned man. If it weren’t for the fact that he only had one son (her father), and her father only had one daughter (her), he would have never willingly handed the company over to her.

“Grandpa has been retired for a long time. He has no control over me.”

Zang Xiuming sighed worriedly. “But he can still make things difficult for you.”

Zang Ling remained unfazed. “So, who is this family?”

“Their last name is Yuan. I think their son’s name is… Yuan Haolang?”