Chapter 119

In Jingyan's executive office, Chi Wanzhao was reviewing documents with her head lowered. Without looking up, she asked, "How are things going in Changning?"

Jiang Yuan stood before her desk, a faint smile on his handsome face. "Everything's been arranged."

Chi Wanzhao hummed in acknowledgment and signed her name on the document.

Jiang Yuan studied the top of her head for a moment before asking, "Should we inform your wife about this?"

Chi Wanzhao's hand holding the pen paused slightly, then she raised her eyes. "No need. Xiyan's been busy with filming lately. Don't let it distract her. I'll take her back to have a look once her current project wraps up."

Jiang Yuan: "Understood. Then, President Chi, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Chi Wanzhao: "Go ahead."

Jiang Yuan turned and left the office. The moment he opened the door, he saw Kong Xiyan standing at the entrance. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kong Xiyan quickly pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh..."

Jiang Yuan gave a knowing nod and stepped aside. Kong Xiyan slipped into the office.

The door closed behind her.

Chi Wanzhao was still engrossed in her documents.

Kong Xiyan stood at the doorway, watching her intently.

This was the first time she had seen Chi Wanzhao at work—serious, meticulous, utterly focused. It was completely unlike her usual demeanor, like a different person.

Even with the same stern face and pressed lips, now the sight was inexplicably captivating.

The more Chi Wanzhao studied the documents, the more joy swelled in Kong Xiyan's heart.

Noticing that Chi Wanzhao had yet to acknowledge her presence, Kong Xiyan tiptoed over, set down the lunchbox, and carefully circled around to behind Chi Wanzhao, who was still signing documents.

Just as Kong Xiyan reached out to cover her eyes, Chi Wanzhao, as if sensing her movements, extended a hand to her shoulder and caught her wrist. With a gentle tug, she spun the chair around and pulled Kong Xiyan down to sit securely on her lap.

Chi Wanzhao wrapped her arms around her and looked up with a smile. "Having fun?"

Kong Xiyan sighed. "Not really."

Seeing the slight frown, Chi Wanzhao let go. "Then stand up, and we'll do it again."

Kong Xiyan: ...

She looked at Chi Wanzhao's earnest expression, clearly not joking. Pressing her lips together, she muttered, "You're so childish."

Chi Wanzhao, seeing she hadn't moved, took the opportunity to pull Kong Xiyan into a tight embrace, resting her head on her shoulder. "Does my wife like it?"

Kong Xiyan leaned back slightly, cupped Chi Wanzhao's face in both hands, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Yes, I do."

The kiss deepened Chi Wanzhao's gaze. Her arms around Kong Xiyan's waist tightened. Sensing the change in her expression, Kong Xiyan tried to stand, but Chi Wanzhao held her down on her lap. Biting her lip, Kong Xiyan said, "Let's eat."

"I'll give you... mmm!"

Chi Wanzhao sealed the endless chatter with a kiss, pressing Kong Xiyan between the desk and herself.

Kong Xiyan's back pressed against the hard wood of the desk, a little uncomfortable. She tried to straighten her spine, leaning her upper body forward, her chest brushing against Chi Wanzhao's. Chi Wanzhao tightened her grip, pulling Kong Xiyan even closer as if she wanted to melt her into her very bones.

Forced to arch her back and lift her chin, Kong Xiyan only made it easier for Chi Wanzhao to deepen the kiss.

It wasn't until both were breathless that Chi Wanzhao finally released her.

Kong Xiyan's face was flushed, her eyes sparkling with moisture, her lips slightly swollen from the kiss. She bit her lower lip and shot Chi Wanzhao a reproachful glare.

Chi Wanzhao placed a hand over her eyes, took a few deep breaths, then pulled Kong Xiyan to her feet. "Let's eat."

Kong Xiyan, still a bit flustered and annoyed, said, "I don't want to eat."

Chi Wanzhao took her wrist and led her to the sofa. Opening the lunchbox and placing one serving in front of Kong Xiyan, she said, "Eat. You'll need the energy for the afternoon."

Kong Xiyan: ...

Though the words were perfectly innocent, coming from the woman before her, they immediately took on a different meaning. Kong Xiyan looked at her suspiciously.

Chi Wanzhao didn't give her time to ponder. She simply placed the chopsticks in Kong Xiyan's hand and pushed the lunchbox a little closer. Kong Xiyan lowered her head and began eating in silence.

"No filming this afternoon?"

Kong Xiyan: "No, I'm free."

Chi Wanzhao hummed in acknowledgment and didn't say more.

After a few bites, Kong Xiyan spoke up. "I ran into Zhou Sheng earlier."

Chi Wanzhao nodded. "I know."

Usually, Zhou Sheng would have delivered her lunch by now, but he hadn't shown up—presumably because he'd seen Xiyan on her way in.

Kong Xiyan looked up at her for a moment, thinking about the office gossip she'd overheard. She bit her lip, hesitated, then bent her head to continue eating. Chi Wanzhao lifted her eyes to her. "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Kong Xiyan picked up a few grains of rice and put them in her mouth. "It's nothing."

Chi Wanzhao frowned slightly but didn't press further.

As lunch was winding down, the matter of He Wei suddenly crossed Kong Xiyan's mind. Setting aside her empty lunchbox, she turned to Chi Wanzhao. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask—did you have anything to do with the He Wei thing?"

Chi Wanzhao paused her chopsticks mid-air, then nodded in admission. "Yes."

Kong Xiyan nodded. "Even if you hadn't exposed Ding Siyuan and Shan Cheng's situation, someone else would have. It's ultimately not a good thing. I hope they can cut their losses in time."

Chi Wanzhao's grip on her chopsticks tightened slightly. "Do you mind that I didn't tell you beforehand?"

Kong Xiyan looked her in the eye. "Of course not. I know you didn't want me caught up in it or distracted right now. But Xiao Wan, as I said before, I want to give Xiaoying a chance."

A cold glint flashed in Chi Wanzhao's eyes, her voice flat. "I gave her one. Whether she can seize it is up to her."

Kong Xiyan lowered her gaze, thinking. "I hope she won't make any more mistakes."

She no longer wanted to revisit the rights and wrongs of three years ago. For the sake of past friendship and Guan Xiaofan, she could tolerate it once. But if Guan Xiaoying didn't stop, she wouldn't show mercy a second time.

Perhaps the topic was too heavy. Kong Xiyan and Chi Wanzhao were silent for a long time after the meal. As noon approached, Kong Xiyan stood up to leave, explaining that Yanyan had spent the morning alone in the apartment waiting for lunch.

Chi Wanzhao gently pressed her shoulders back down. "No rush. She's about to arrive."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a knock came at the door, followed by Zhou Sheng's voice: "President Chi."

Chi Wanzhao went to open it. Zhou Sheng stood outside, Yanyan cradled in his arms. At the sight of Chi Wanzhao, he lowered his head and said, "President Chi, I've brought Yanyan."

Yanyan was glancing left and right with wide, curious eyes.

Chi Wanzhao took the cat from him, meeting his gaze. "What's on the schedule for this afternoon?"

Zhou Sheng: "A meeting with President Gu at two, a conference at three-thirty, and at four..." He kept his eyes averted as he spoke, and when he reached the final item, he changed tack. "President Chi, you've been working too hard these past few days. I think you need a break. I'll push back this afternoon's arrangements."

"Is that okay?"

Chi Wanzhao kept her eyes on him, a faint smile playing at her lips. "Move the meeting with President Gu to three. Keep everything else as is."

Zhou Sheng let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded quickly. "Understood."

Before he could finish, the door had already closed in his face. Zhou Sheng straightened his back and adjusted his glasses with a finger. A cluster of secretaries immediately crowded around him.

"Assistant Zhou, what's going on? Was that Kong Xiyan who went in?"

"Kong Xiyan? Call her Mrs. Chi! Didn't you go to the cafeteria at noon? Don't you know that the entire Section Two of the Promotion Department had their bonuses docked?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But what exactly is going on between President Chi and his wife?"

"Yeah, I heard they were in a fake marriage. This doesn't look fake at all."

"What do you guys know? Let Assistant Zhou talk!"

Zhou Sheng looked at the girl closest to him and smiled. "Talk about what? Are you all feeling like you've got extra money to burn?"

The secretaries quickly waved their hands. "No, no."

Zhou Sheng let out a cold huff and headed back to his office, but before entering, he turned to one of the secretaries. "Xiao Han, after lunch break, have the group leader of Section Two of the Promotion Department come to my office."

Xiao Han was taken aback. "Alright."

Only after Zhou Sheng had shut his office door did Xiao Han mutter, "What does Assistant Zhou want with the Section Two group leader?"

The secretary beside him gave him a nudge. "Are you dense? Who got into trouble today? Section Two. I have a feeling they're in deep trouble."

"I feel it too."

"Let's hope it's just our imagination."

As they chattered among themselves, Jiang Yuan appeared behind them with a smile. "What are you all discussing?"

Startled, they spun around to see him. Jiang Yuan's smile was disarming, his demeanor gentle. "What's the topic?"

The secretaries weren't particularly afraid of him, so they eagerly shared. "Nothing, really—we were just puzzling over President Chi and his wife's situation."

"Oh, right! Assistant Jiang is always by President Chi's side. You must know something!"

Jiang Yuan gave a faint, ambiguous smile but didn't follow their lead. Instead, he asked, "Remember our bet from before the new year?"

They frowned.

"A bet? What bet?"

"Is it the one in the group chat?"

"I remember! Wasn't it about whether President Chi would fall in love?"

Jiang Yuan spoke slowly and deliberately. "That's right. The odds were one to a hundred."

"Now, it's time to pay up."

They were dumbfounded: !!!!

Jiang Yuan's face still wore that gentle smile, but the secretaries were trembling as they reluctantly dug into their pockets, all the while confirming one thing:

The money they handed over was real.

And the relationship between President Chi and his wife was real, too.

If it weren't, why would Assistant Jiang be collecting on the bet now? The man was too cunning—he probably knew all along but kept it hidden, even taking the chance to place a bet himself!

What a schemer!

No sooner had lunch ended than Jiang Yuan was kicked out of the group chat.

Back in the office, Jiang Yuan set the winnings on Zhou Sheng's desk. Zhou Sheng frowned at him, and Jiang Yuan shrugged. "I just earned your bonus back for you."

Zhou Sheng: ...