CHAPTER 22

Xu Yi crossed his arms around her waist, his chin brushing against her hair. “Everything I said is true. Just give me a chance, okay?”

“A chance for you to take advantage of me every day?”

Wen Yang steadied her breath and pushed herself up against the sofa’s backrest. She wasn’t embarrassed at all as she scrutinized his face.

Xu Yi’s gaze fell on her swollen lips, glistening as if coated with the finest glaze—moist, smooth, irresistible.

He swallowed hard. He wanted to kiss her again.

“Hmph~” Wen Yang let out a mocking laugh. “Congratulations, you’ve made it one step further.”

I can’t go back anymore.

She moved to get off him. It was only April, and their clothes weren’t thick. Did he really think she hadn’t noticed the changes in his body?

Yet, Xu Yi refused to let go. Without hesitation, Wen Yang landed a punch straight into his abdomen.

The shock of the unexpected attack was even greater than the pain itself.

“Ah—”

Xu Yi’s grip loosened, and Wen Yang swung a leg over him, stepping away to sit next to the baby stroller.

Xu Yi groaned theatrically for a while, but when he realized she wouldn’t show him the slightest bit of concern, he dropped the act and sat up properly. “What do you mean by ‘one step further’?”

He licked his lips, holding onto a sliver of hope—did this mean she was willing to accept him?

“You’re still miles away from success,” Wen Yang replied mercilessly, opening a newly approved friend request.

Wen Yang: Xiao Yan, how’s the situation on your end?

She couldn’t expose herself, but she needed to subtly drop hints to Xiao Yan about Qi Chen’s whereabouts.

Xu Yi wanted to have a heartfelt conversation with her, but her responses always left him feeling lost. He forced himself to be a little tougher, but when it came to Wen Yang, he simply couldn’t maintain his usual dominant CEO demeanor.

Three knocks sounded on the office door.

Xu Yi: “Come in.”

His assistant entered with a repairman, eyes straight ahead. “President Xu, the repairman is here.”

Without even looking up, Xu Yi instructed, “Restroom.”

Wen Yang stood up. “Take care of him and make sure someone feeds him.” She was going back to her rented apartment to get some peace and quiet.

Xu Yi didn’t stop her this time but followed closely behind. As he passed his assistant, he added, “Find someone to watch the kid.”

Wen Yang stepped into the elevator, and Xu Yi followed right in.

The elevator doors closed. Xu Yi pressed the button for the basement level. Wen Yang noticed but remained silent.

The reflective elevator doors showed their side-by-side figures—one in a tailored suit and polished shoes, exuding the aura of a corporate elite; the other in casual, comfortable clothes, looking like an ordinary office worker.

One mistake had sent her plummeting from heaven to hell. The once-glorious heiress was gone, buried with her past. Now, she was nothing more than a regular, overworked employee.

A future of luxury? More like a future of endless exhaustion.

Xu Yi noticed her staring at their reflections, looking displeased. He silently shifted an inch away. “Have you had lunch yet?”

Wen Yang glanced up at him with disdain. “You’re a CEO, and yet you speak without any confidence?”

“I only lack confidence when it comes to you.” Xu Yi smoothly closed the distance he had just created. “You’re colder than I am.”

Wen Yang was disgusted by his cheesy words and pressed herself against the side of the elevator.

The doors slid open, and Xu Yi quickly grabbed her wrist, afraid she’d slip away the moment he let his guard down.

Her frustration was reaching its peak. Xu Yi kept clinging to her, but she didn’t have the energy to argue with him. Yet, her silence only emboldened him to keep pushing her boundaries, making her even more irritated.

He ushered her into the car and carefully fastened her seatbelt.

As the car exited the underground parking lot, exhaustion finally settled over Wen Yang. She leaned her head against the seat and shut her eyes, granting herself a brief moment of escape.

System: Host, you can still fix this. You need to stay strong.

Wen Yang: And how exactly do I fix it?

System: Have you forgotten your initial mission? You need to fulfill the supporting character’s storyline and wait for the novel to reach its conclusion before you can go home.

Wen Yang: Does it even matter anymore? I can’t go back, and now you’re talking to me about requirements for returning?

The system realized its words were meaningless at this point. It hesitated before revealing the compensation plan headquarters had negotiated. : Actually, you can still achieve the same status and wealth in this world as you had in the real one. We will transfer compensation funds to your account—ten billion! And as for status… well, you already have a high-quality, devoted CEO right beside you.

Wen Yang: So basically, you want me to obediently follow the script and not mess with the plot?

The system let out an awkward laugh, internally drowning in frustration. Being a system stuck between headquarters and its host was no easy job. “So, what do you say? Yes or no?”

Wen Yang had never been particularly materialistic. As long as she had enough to live comfortably, that was enough. She made a swift decision, slashing the compensation in half. “Five billion. And I get to give Xiao Yan a lead on Qi Chen’s whereabouts. Take it or leave it.“

The system relayed Wen Yang’s demand to headquarters—it wasn’t a decision it could make alone.

Meanwhile, Xu Yi stole a glance at her. As they paused at a red light, he took off his suit jacket and draped it over her.

Wen Yang suddenly opened her eyes, turned her head, and let the jacket slide onto her lap. Without hesitation, she picked it up and tossed it into the backseat.

Xu Yi watched her discard it with his own hands. Saying he wasn’t hurt would be a lie.

But with Wen Yang, he had no bottom line.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked. “Or do you want to rest?”

Wen Yang watched the scenery outside blur past. There were no towering skyscrapers in sight. “Where are you taking me?”

Xu Yi answered, “Home. Mine.”

“Put me down.”

Xu Yi was growing frustrated with her cold indifference. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stir up any emotion in her. For the first time, he ignored her request.

He drove into a gated villa community and stopped in front of a three-story house.

Turning off the engine, he got out, walked to her side, and opened the car door. But Wen Yang showed no intention of getting out.

She was looking down, sending a message on WeChat. She had completely forgotten about work and only now remembered to request leave.

Even if the monk wasn’t in the temple, he still had to ring the bell.

After sending the message, Wen Yang unfastened her seatbelt, but Xu Yi was blocking the exit. She placed one foot on the ground, right between his legs.

“Move.”

Xu Yi obediently stepped aside.

Inside, Wen Yang scanned the house’s interior. It was bright, decorated in cool tones, and had a strong business-like feel—very much in line with his CEO persona.

At that moment, a housekeeper rushed out from inside. “Sir, you’re back.”

Sir? Wen Yang turned to look at Xu Yi, silently mouthing the word. No matter how she looked at him, it didn’t seem to fit.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll have the housekeeper prepare it.”

“Whatever.” She hadn’t come here as a guest.

With that vague answer, the housekeeper busied herself in the kitchen.

Wen Yang wouldn’t let Xu Yi hold her hand or even grab her wrist. Left with no choice, he tugged at her sleeve to lead her upstairs.

On the third floor, Xu Yi pushed open a door and gestured to the slightly empty room. “You’ll stay here. My room is right across from yours, so if you need anything, I can come over quickly. You can decorate it however you like.”

“Xu Yi, don’t you think you’re overdoing it?” Wen Yang took a deep breath, trying to reason with him. “We have nothing to do with each other. Why are you being so unreasonable? You can’t just force me to love you because you’re so deeply devoted to me.”

“How do we have nothing to do with each other?” Xu Yi grabbed her wrist, his tone pressing. “In the office, that kiss—what was that? Why did you kiss me first?”

“I was angry! I was venting!”

Xu Yi’s voice was calm, almost teasing. “You’re angry again. I’m ready for you to vent.”

“You’re impossible.” Wen Yang instantly shut down her emotions, reverting to her cold demeanor.

Xu Yi wasn’t planning on letting go. He had already made up his mind—this lifetime, he was never letting her go. He nodded.

Wen Yang wearily leaned her head against the door with a dull thud. “You like me. You insist it has to be me.”

“You have a very accurate understanding of my feelings.”

Xu Yi’s hands wandered, tracing circles in her palm.

“Are you looking for a relationship?”

“I’m looking for marriage. Don’t think you can shake me off with that excuse.”

He didn’t believe she would be so kind.

“Let me think about it.” Dealing with a persistent man like him was exhausting.

“Think about what? Good things or bad?”

“Something good. Give me time, and I’ll give you a proper answer.”

——

After finally getting Xu Yi to leave, Wen Yang let out a deep breath. She leaned blankly against the door, first wondering how she had ended up entangled with him. Did every transmigrator encounter a fated romance like this?

She didn’t dislike Xu Yi, but she didn’t love him either. At most, her heart would occasionally race during moments of intimacy—just a hormonal reaction, nothing substantial. The idea of marrying him? That was too irresponsible, both to him and to herself.

But Xu Yi had spent seven years refusing to let go. If anything, he had become even more relentless. That frustrated her, but it also shocked her. Who keeps liking a girl they only spent two months with, when nothing romantic even happened? Xu Yi was ridiculously devoted.

System: Host~

Wen Yang snapped out of her thoughts. “Give me the result.”

System: Your request has been approved. But you can’t make it too obvious to the female lead—no specific locations.

Wen Yang: Even if I wanted to, I don’t know the exact location.

System: Are you satisfied with this compensation?

Wen Yang: The money hasn’t even hit my account yet, and you already want a good review?

System: Apologies, processing now.

Even though the app had transaction limits, artificial intelligence had its advantages.

System: It’s done. You can check your balance now.

Wen Yang pulled out her phone, opened Alipay, and navigated to her balance. The string of zeros following the five was dazzling—her financial worries were officially over.

Her mood lifted slightly, just as a new message popped up at the top of her screen.

Xiao Yan: I just got off the plane.

Wen Yang thought for a moment, then typed:

Wen Yang: Can you tell me the exact location where Qi Chen disappeared?

A moment later, ding~

Xiao Yan: Near a city called Liyin in Country F.

In the novel, Xiao Yan found Qi Chen in a small foreign tourist town. At the time, Qi Chen had suffered a head injury and lost his memory. Though he didn’t remember her, he still couldn’t bring himself to be cruel to her. After spending time together, his memories of their love finally returned, and he went back to China to reclaim his company.

A tourist town—with snowy mountains, music, and forests.

She didn’t know if Qi Chen had regained consciousness yet. If he wasn’t there, Xiao Yan’s search would be for nothing.

Whatever. She would pass on the information anyway.

Wen Yang: Try searching in the small tourist towns around that city. They’re crowded, good places to hide.

Xiao Yan: Alright, I’ll look there. Thank you.