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Chapter 38: Who’s Really Bullying Who?

Just now, Tan Qishen felt like he saw the Yan Man from that night again.

He tossed the script aside and pulled her into his arms.

It was time to throw that breakup agreement he had drafted into the shredder.

There were two copies of the agreement—one with him and one given to Yan Man. As long as they were signed, it would take effect.

But now, that agreement was just a few pieces of useless paper.

He didn’t want to break up anymore.

Yan Man went along with his kiss, but right before things escalated, she gently reminded him, “I need to sleep.”

She had to get up at 5 a.m. Even if she went to sleep now, she’d only get five hours. If Tan Qishen kept going without restraint, she wouldn’t get to sleep at all tonight.

Thankfully, he hadn’t completely lost control. He stopped in time and held her in his arms to help her relax.

In the dark, the room was quiet. The curtains were tightly drawn, and only the dim bedside lamp cast a faint glow.

She could feel the heat radiating from the person next to her.

Half-asleep, Yan Man suddenly remembered something important. Her drowsiness vanished instantly.

She was lying in Tan Qishen’s arms, and with a slight tilt of her head, she could see his face. His bangs were slightly tousled, his eyes closed, and his long lashes resting against his skin.

She couldn’t tell if he was asleep.

But even if he was, she had to wake him. She tugged his hand and called softly near his ear, “Baby.”

Tan Qishen didn’t respond.

Yan Man kept talking anyway, “When you leave my room tomorrow morning, make sure no one sees you.”

The next second, Tan Qishen suddenly opened his eyes. In the dim light, his gaze looked even deeper and more unreadable. He questioned her, “Yan Man, are we sneaking around?”

How ridiculous. As the head of the prestigious Tan family, even dating someone had to be done in secret?

Jiang Linjin and He Cheng both said he was the one bullying Yan Man.

But really—who was bullying who?

“…”

Yan Man blinked innocently. Her soft fingertips gently brushed his lips to soothe him. “Don’t make it sound so harsh.”

She snuggled closer into his arms and explained in a gentle voice, “My career is on the rise. If someone sees us, it won’t be good.”

Tan Qishen snorted coldly. “You always have an excuse.”

Yan Man thought for a moment and came up with a perfect plan. “How about this? You can’t always come to me. Every Sunday night, the crew has a rest break. I’ll come to Park Hyatt to see you, okay?”

It was already Thursday. Just a few more days, and they could meet again.

Tan Qishen neither agreed nor disagreed.

Yan Man thought to herself—this man was really hard to please.

Just as she was about to lower her standards and let him do whatever he wanted tonight, he suddenly said something completely unrelated:

“Clear your schedule on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.”

Yan Man was confused. It was still a month away from New Year.

She asked, “Why?”

Tan Qishen answered nonchalantly, casually dropping the one thing Yan Man feared most.

“My mom’s birthday.”

Wan Heng’s 50th birthday would be on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. It was about time Yan Man met his family.

“…”

Luckily, the room was dark, so he couldn’t see her mouth gaping in shock.

Looks like this relationship was bound to end before then.

Yan Man nervously fiddled with the blanket. “…Isn’t that a bit much?”

“What’s too much about it?” Tan Qishen countered.

She didn’t think their relationship was serious enough to meet the parents.

Especially since their agreement was set to expire in just three months.

What was Tan Qishen thinking?

But she didn’t dare ask directly. Instead, she hid her true feelings and pretended to be excited. “Then what does Auntie like? I need to prepare a gift.”

“No need. I’ll prepare everything for you.”

Tan Qishen pulled her closer and patted her back gently. “Go to sleep.”

Yan Man lay curled in his arms, eyes wide open—how was she supposed to sleep now?

She liked Tan Qishen’s face.

She liked his body.

She liked the sound of his breath, heavy and rough because of her.

Thinking about their eventual separation, Yan Man felt a bit reluctant.

But she couldn’t ask for too much—greed only led to greater desire.

And that wouldn’t be fair to Tan Qishen.

The next morning.

The alarm went off on time. Yan Man sleepily reached for her phone to turn it off, afraid of waking the man beside her.

Shen Jie had been following her schedule closely these past few days, knocking on her door at 5:30 a.m. to deliver breakfast. After eating, Yan Man would head downstairs to the crew’s dedicated makeup room. By the time she was done with makeup, it’d usually be past 8 a.m.

Tan Qishen usually woke up around 7 a.m., but since he wasn’t used to sleeping in a new place, he woke a little earlier today. When he opened his eyes, the woman in his arms was already gone.

He sent a message to Uncle Nan, and soon after, someone knocked on the door.

Still wearing the same robe from last night, Tan Qishen opened the door to see Uncle Nan standing outside, holding a kraft envelope containing his freshly pressed clothes.

Uncle Nan bowed slightly, “Good morning, Young Master.”

Tan Qishen nodded. Remembering what Yan Man said last night, he casually asked, “No one saw you, right?”

“…”

Uncle Nan raised his eyebrows. He had something to say—but wasn’t sure if he should.

This felt a little too much like a spy exchange.

He answered truthfully, “Ran into Director Hu downstairs.”

Tan Qishen frowned, pausing mid-tie. “Was anyone else there?”

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