Chapter Twenty-Five: You Haven’t Forgotten Me, Have You?

"Care to join me for a date?"

The text message disrupted Wen Yan's train of thought. Opening it, she saw it was from Qiao Chenye.

A smile blossomed on Wen Yan's face. "Are you done with your work?"

Almost instantaneously, Qiao Chenye replied with only two words: "Open up."

Wen Yan touched up her lipstick in the mirror and opened the door.

In the shadows of the hallway, Qiao Chenye stood in a black suit, the top three buttons of his shirt undone, grinning like a cunning fox.

He handed over a bouquet of dark red roses. "You haven't forgotten your valentine, have you?"

Wen Yan stepped aside to let him in. "It’s not good if the neighbors see."

She took the roses and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, laughing. "How could I forget? Why are you suddenly here?"

"I missed you, so I hopped on a red-eye flight." As he spoke, Qiao Chenye wrapped an arm around her waist and gestured toward the door across the hall. "By the way, darling, I’ve moved in. I'm living right across from you."

"And you don't have to worry about the neighbors anymore. I bought the units above and below you as well."

Wen Yan’s eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Qiao Chenye pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to her. "Don't believe me? Open the door and see for yourself."

Skeptical, Wen Yan took the key and inserted it into the lock across the hall—with a click, the door swung open.

She took in the interior design of the apartment and suddenly recalled the renovation noise from next door a few days ago. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "So, you’re the millionaire who was making all that noise?"

"Who else?" Qiao Chenye chuckled and pulled her into the room. "I was afraid someone might be seduced by Li Jingyan and lose their focus. Isn't it better that I came here to defend our relationship?"

Dragged into the room, Wen Yan looked at the spacious, bright living room and raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid I’ll get into bed with Li Jingyan? You’re overthinking it..."

Qiao Chenye leaned in, staring at her with a playful glint in his eyes. "I’m not worried about that. I have confidence in myself." He reached out to pinch her chin, his tone suggestive. "I’m definitely more attractive to you than Li Jingyan is, right?"

"What was his longest record? Two seconds?" At her teasing tone, Wen Yan turned her head away in disdain.

Qiao Chenye suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "By the way, darling, I haven't eaten yet. Would you... like to join me for a bite?"

Wen Yan: "I don't want to go out tonight; I'm too lazy to move. Let's just order takeout."

"No, I need to eat you."

He kicked the door shut and pinned her to the sofa, his voice deep and magnetic. "So, will you let me have a taste today?"

"I don't know how to cook. How about instant noodles? Master Kong braised beef flavor..." Wen Yan didn't realize that at this moment, Qiao Chenye was like a leopard stalking its prey, his eyes glowing.

Qiao Chenye’s fingertips slid up her waistline, as if igniting a fire.

"So, that’s a yes from you, then~"

Only then did Wen Yan realize what he meant by "hungry."

"I knew you didn't just come here to deliver flowers."

"You lost the bet last time, so I’m not letting you eat!" Wen Yan turned her head away, acting coy.

"Then let me eat you~" Qiao Chenye cuddled Wen Yan, acting spoiled.

Before Wen Yan could react, he leaned down, his warm breath sweeping across her neck. A second later, his lips pressed against her collarbone.

It wasn't until she felt that soft touch that Wen Yan realized she had been reduced to a passive state.

She hurriedly clutched the roses to her chest, the petals falling in a flurry between them. A sharp thorn accidentally grazed her collarbone, and a sting forced an involuntary "hng" from her throat.

Qiao Chenye paused, reached out to gently take the roses from her arms, and stared at the reddened skin with burning eyes, his voice low. "Don't move. I’ll lick it and it won't hurt anymore."

The warm sensation covered her collarbone, bringing with it a heart-pounding tingle.

Wen Yan stopped him immediately, grabbed him by the neck, and kissed him. "No need, let’s just eat each other~"

Rose petals scattered across the floor as they moved from the living room sofa to the bedroom, entangled in a night of passion until the morning light began to stir.

The next morning, Wen Yan was awakened by the soreness throughout her body. She stretched, her bones feeling as if they had fallen apart, and couldn't help but call out in her heart, "System? How did that check on the hotel records turn out last night?"

It took a while for the system's voice to respond, sounding slightly drowsy. "Oh... the battle last night was too intense, I couldn't bear to watch, so I went offline for a while. Oh, right! Because Liu Yanyan succeeded in her revenge yesterday, the system awarded you 2 points."

Wen Yan did the math. It seemed that if her internship plans went well next week, she would be able to open two mystery boxes.

Rubbing her waist, she got up and walked into the living room. Looking at the exquisite European-style decor—the crystal chandelier, the leather sofa, the oil paintings on the wall—which stood in such stark contrast to the exterior of the old building, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Money really can make ghosts grind grain. To have it decorated so beautifully in such a short time—Qiao Chenye’s capabilities are truly extraordinary."

She hadn't noticed last night, but this apartment had actually connected the units above and below—it was completely opened up! This was so cool!

I’m going to go all out against these rich people!

Sounds came from the kitchen. Wen Yan walked over to find Qiao Chenye in gray loungewear, standing in front of a frying pan.

His broad shoulders and narrow waist made even the loungewear look stylish, and his side profile was sharp, like a character stepping out of a manga.

She leaned against the doorframe, watching him quietly for a while.

As if sensing her gaze, Qiao Chenye turned around, a fox-like smile in his eyes. "Awake? The eggs will be ready in a second."

When they sat down at the dining table, Qiao Chenye suddenly brought it up. "By the way, I’m afraid I can't intervene directly in the MR project; I don't want to alert the enemy. I intend to ruin his reputation by exposing his extramarital affairs first, and then step in to resolve things."

"I'm just worried, will that affect you?"

"It won't have any impact. That's what I was thinking, too," Wen Yan said, taking a spoonful of porridge. "But you don't need to be the one to expose it, and I don't need to lift a finger. We’ll use someone else's blade—I'll make Liu Yanyan expose it herself."

Qiao Chenye raised an eyebrow. "Her? How will you get her to agree?"

"Isn't the Qiao Group's anniversary celebration next week?" Wen Yan set down her spoon, a hint of calculation in her eyes. "If you help me arrange for all the shareholders to be there, I'll leak some information to Liu Yanyan and add fuel to the fire."

"Given her personality, she'll definitely make a scene. Once we expose Li Jingyan's dirty laundry, his reputation will be completely destroyed."

Qiao Chenye looked at the light in her eyes, couldn't help but reach out to ruffle her hair, and nodded with a smile.

"I'll keep him busy these next few days, preferably so busy he won't have time to see Liu Yanyan."

"Fine, I'll handle the arrangements. I'll put some pressure on him regarding the MR project."

As Qiao Chenye spoke, he couldn't help but look at Wen Yan, liking her more and more.

Wen Yan noticed the change in his gaze and felt uncomfortable. "Do you think I'm too evil...?"

"That’s exactly why I like the evil ones," Qiao Chenye replied with a grin, his eyes filled with admiration.

"The rest is up to you. You must make it happen..." Wen Yan’s face flushed at his words, and she quickly changed the subject.

"Alright, everything will be done as you say. I’ll contact the shareholders; I guarantee every single one of them will be there."