Volume 1, Chapter 24: Light Him Up Like a Lantern

"Sit down," Fu Yunzhen said again.

Qiao Nian'an did not sit; she only wanted to leave.

"Sit down and have breakfast with me, or I’ll kiss you."

Qiao Nian'an frowned, glared at him with annoyance, and muttered under her breath, "You are truly impossible to please!"

Fu Yunzhen smiled. "You, of all people, know best whether I’m hard to please or not."

Qiao Nian'an naturally knew. He wasn't just difficult in every other regard; he was difficult in *that* regard as well. She would cry and beg him to stop, but he would use all sorts of tricks to seduce her, making her willingly surrender to his pleasure. Only when they both reached the heights of ecstasy would he finally stop.

"If you don't sit down, I'll have every reason to suspect you're intentionally trying to force me to kiss you." Fu Yunzhen walked up to her, suddenly leaning down close to her ear, his magnetic voice tinged with a lingering, amorous quality.

Her skin was fair, and she carried a faint, subtle fragrance—like a potent aphrodisiac—that made him unable to resist the urge to kiss her. If she didn't sit down, he really would. It would be her silent consent.

Qiao Nian'an felt utterly helpless. Back when they were dating, whenever they argued incessantly about their secret relationship, he would entangle himself with her until the end, leaving dense, strawberry-colored marks all over her body that wouldn't fade for over half a month. He was relentless; it was no wonder the marks on her neck and body never cleared up. He was a man of intense desire.

She had secretly observed other male classmates who had girlfriends. After they tasted the forbidden fruit, their girlfriends would cling to them constantly. Within a month, the boys would look like monkeys—thin, with dark circles and heavy bags under their eyes, as if their vitality had been sucked dry. Yet, even if Fu Yunzhen demanded her twice a day, every single day, his spirit only seemed to grow more vibrant. He looked completely energized, showing no signs of overindulgence.

Fearing he might actually follow through on his threat, she pushed him away and sat down.

Fu Yunzhen stood frozen for a split second, looking down at Qiao Nian'an as she obediently sat, and sighed inwardly. He had really hoped to kiss her. She was so resilient; even in the face of such a perfect man, she could resist temptation. He remembered that she used to have very little self-control; as long as he gave her a little encouragement, she would fall for him.

Just by being this close to her and smelling her scent, he felt parts of himself beginning to stir, starting to hunt. Fu Yunzhen took a deep breath to calm himself before pulling out a chair and sitting beside her.

"Really not planning to eat? If you starve yourself, will you compensate me by letting me have you?"

Qiao Nian'an turned her head away, not looking at him. But her Cantonese stomach, faced with the temptation of so many handmade, freshly steamed dim sum dishes, had long since surrendered, letting out a rumbling sound. Yet, why did his leg have to press against hers, rubbing against her with that subtle, lingering friction?

Fu Yunzhen looked at her. "Really not going to eat?"

Qiao Nian'an swallowed. "No."

Fu Yunzhen chuckled softly and picked up a piece of garlic pork ribs. "Is it that you don't want to eat, or that you don't want to eat with me?" He brought the rib to her lips, but Qiao Nian'an turned away.

"Are you nearsighted? Can't you see that I clearly don't want to eat with you?"

At this moment, Qiao Nian'an only wanted to leave, terrified that if she stayed any longer, she would be broken by him. This man had endless ways to dismantle her.

Fu Yunzhen: ...How cold.

He placed the rib into her bowl, set down his chopsticks, and looked at her cold, indifferent face. "Would it kill you to make up with me?"

Qiao Nian'an looked out the window, avoiding his eyes. "Yes."

If she didn't break up with him, his mother would forcibly pin her to an operating table to abort their child. How was that any different from killing her? Her eyes welled with mist. The issue between them was no longer just about making up or not. It involved too many major and minor complications. More importantly, it endangered the life of her child. To protect her child, she had to stay away from Fu Yunzhen, this ticking time bomb. Even if he were a thousand times better, she would not turn back.

Although Fu Yunzhen had suffered hardship since childhood—because he was brilliant in every way but poor, he was a target for everyone to trample on, even to reject—he had never taken it to heart. Mostly because he didn't care. But being rejected by Qiao Nian'an repeatedly was different; he was genuinely angry.

"Qiao Nian'an, are you truly unwilling to make up with me?"

Qiao Nian'an didn't even think; she blurted out, "Unwilling."

Fu Yunzhen's heart sank. "Qiao Nian'an, is this your honest answer? Do you know how many women would throw themselves at me if I just gave the word and crooked my finger?"

Qiao Nian'an kept staring out the window, her voice heavily suppressed. "It sounds as if I’m the one stopping you from finding other women."

With that, she abruptly stood up and walked out without looking back.

Fu Yunzhen's voice turned harsh. "Qiao Nian'an, don't regret this! If I ever mention making up again, I’m a dog!"

He watched with his own eyes as Qiao Nian'an left without a shred of hesitation or pause, walking out of the office cold and heartless, slamming the door behind her. It cut them off from each other.

*Heh! Qiao Nian'an, you’ve really got guts!*

The wicked fire of anger she had ignited in him had nowhere to go. He slammed his fist onto the desk. Looking at the steaming breakfast, he lost his appetite. He asked Assistant Lin to come in and take the food away to distribute to the staff.

After Qiao Nian'an returned to her desk, she focused on her work. From his office, through the floor-to-ceiling glass, Fu Yunzhen watched her sitting upright, busy typing and making calls. He lit a cigarette and watched her silently for a long time.

Finally, his phone on the desk rang. He picked it up.

"Yunzhen, didn't I tell you to come home last night? Why didn't you? Do you know I waited for you all night?" A scolding voice came through the phone. "Where are you now? Come back and see me within thirty minutes."

Fu Yunzhen crushed the cigarette. "I am no longer the child you can control. My wings are fully grown. I agreed to return to the country to manage the Fu Group, not because I fear you or owe you, but because I have more important things to do." His most important thing was to reconcile with Qiao Nian'an.

"You... come back and see me now. If you don't, the person you think is important will become unimportant."

Fu Yunzhen sounded impatient as he tugged at his tie. "I’m coming."

Fu Yunzhen left the Baofu Culture Company. As he walked out, he didn't even glance at Qiao Nian'an.

Qiao Nian'an saw that Fu Yunzhen’s face was so dark it seemed as if it could drip water. Her heart skipped a beat for no reason. It seemed that after she rejected him earlier, he had cooled down inside and thought it through. She wouldn't have to worry about him pestering her anymore. In this way, her life would finally be peaceful.

"Nian'an, CEO Fu’s face doesn't look too good. What do you think happened to him?" Shen Niwu asked softly as she ate a molten lava bun, leaning close to Qiao Nian'an. Thanks to Qiao Nian'an, they were able to eat authentic breakfast. The pastry chef from the Gangyue Restaurant was famous, but he had been recruited by Fu Yunzhen. It was hard to get his food, yet here it was. The taste was exquisite; one bite and you knew it came from the master himself. Anyone with eyes could see that this breakfast was carefully prepared by the CEO for Qiao Nian'an.

"CEO Fu is gone, you should eat something too. Don't go against your own stomach." Shen Niwu brought a few baskets of dim sum for Qiao Nian'an. Assistant Lin had specifically instructed her that Qiao Nian'an must eat. If she failed the task, her salary would be docked. Shen Niwu pleaded, "We Northeasterners can't tell if it's authentic or not, but you’re from the Hong Kong circle; this morning tea is part of your culture. Try it and see if it's the real deal?"

Under Shen Niwu's prodding, Qiao Nian'an began to eat. The taste was exactly the same as what she had eaten in Hong Kong as a child.

"It tastes good, very authentic," Qiao Nian'an said.

"That's great! Let’s eat more; it’s delicious. Don't waste it. The CEO is treating, might as well eat it, right? It saves a breakfast bill. If we can't finish these, we can eat them for lunch, saving lunch money too." Seeing Qiao Nian'an eating, Shen Niwu felt relieved. Her salary was safe.

...

Meanwhile, on the way back to the Fu family mansion, Assistant Lin showed Fu Yunzhen the surveillance footage. "CEO Fu, Miss Qiao is eating breakfast."

Fu Yunzhen took a glance, watching her elegant manner of eating, which stood in stark contrast to the female colleagues next to her. His girl was a daughter of heaven; she shouldn't be out working for others; she was meant for a life of luxury. The Qiao family had fallen, but fortunately, she had him now.

"Oh, right, CEO Fu, I’ve handled the matters regarding the Qiao family," Assistant Lin said. "The Qiao family's debts have been cleared. From now on, no one will disturb her life or force her to pay back debts."

Assistant Lin then shared the investigation into Qiao Nian'an’s life over the past few years with Fu Yunzhen. "To pay off her family's debts, Miss Qiao almost ended up being forced into escort work..."

"Miss Qiao once had a sum of money that could have paid off the Qiao family's debts, but she used it to 'light the sky lantern'... she bought back some unflattering photos of you..."

Assistant Lin hesitated as he spoke, constantly wiping sweat from his forehead. He glanced at Fu Yunzhen from time to time. "This is what I found..."