Such a big mosquito!

"Your family's cook is excellent; how could you not have eaten well?" Su Wanru probed casually.

"Don't even bring it up, I'm furious!" Long Ruoshui began to vent. "My elder brother hasn't stayed at the ancestral home for eight years, right? But last night, he came back with that woman and spent the night here! The worst part? This morning, he made everyone wait for her. It's too much!"

"Maybe she doesn't know the rules of the Long family," Su Wanru explained.

Long Ruoshui snorted coldly. "People who don't understand our family's rules shouldn't marry into the Long family! I truly don't understand what my brother sees in her. She has nothing to offer, not even a tenth of your grace and knowledge of our traditions. You understand the Long family rules better than I do. My brother must be blind."

"Ruoshui," Su Wanru said helplessly, "he's your brother. You shouldn't talk about him like that."

"Hmph, he has no taste!"

"Actually, don't you think she looks a lot like someone?" Su Wanru asked with a hint of meaning.

Long Ruoshui paused, her eyes narrowing as though a realization dawned on her. "Now that you mention it, she does look a bit like someone!"

"So now you understand why your brother chose her, right?"

Su Wanru gave a knowing smile, as if she had confirmed her suspicions.

Long Ruoshui let out a heavy sigh and said no more.

But Su Wanru, on the other hand, wore a faint smile, as if she was sure of something.

As soon as Tang Mianmian arrived at the office, Cindy handed her the prepared outfit and remarked with envy, "This dress looks like a design from FIR many years ago, but it looks so stunning on you!"

"An older design?" Tang Mianmian was briefly taken aback but then smiled. "I didn't even notice. I just grabbed something randomly."

Fu Ranzhan teased from the side, "Your 'randomly grabbed' outfit is worth my entire life!"

"Go away." Tang Mianmian playfully brushed her aside, but her eyes widened when she noticed the red marks on Fu Ranzhan's neck. "Ranzhan, last night…?"

Fu Ranzhan, who had been holding the upper hand, blushed instantly at the mention of last night and stammered, "Last night? What about last night? Nothing happened! I went home!"

"…" Tang Mianmian's lips twitched. She wanted to remind her friend that this was the textbook example of protesting too much.

"Go change your clothes! Stop digging into others' business!" Fu Ranzhan, her face flushed, pushed her friend away and adjusted her collar nervously, cursing the man in her heart.

He must have done it on purpose!

Not long after Tang Mianmian entered the restroom, Fu Ranzhan's phone rang. It was Cindy calling for help—apparently, the dress Cindy had chosen had a back zipper, and Tang Mianmian couldn't reach it herself.

Fu Ranzhan complained in her heart: This girl, so helpless.

The boss's private lounge is perfectly equipped, but she insists on using this restroom. Self-inflicted trouble!

Her imagination involuntarily conjured up an image of Tang Mianmian in the lounge, struggling with the zipper and seeking help from the boss. That scene… fiery indeed.

Knocking on the restroom door, Fu Ranzhan was immediately pulled inside by Tang Mianmian.

"Quick! Help me out. I've been wrestling with this forever. These back-zip dresses are just impossible!" Tang Mianmian's cheeks were flushed, probably from frustration.

"Are you sure this is your size?"

"Yes!"

"Looks like it shrunk."

"Get lost!"

As Fu Ranzhan turned her around to help with the zipper, she noticed some suspicious marks on Tang Mianmian's back and her eyes gleamed with mischief. "Tang Mianmian, did you do something with the boss last night?"

"Of course not!" Tang Mianmian quickly denied. "We slept in the same bed last night, but we just talked under the blankets. Nothing happened, okay?"

"Right, like the boss is some sort of monk who can resist temptation?"

"A monk…" Tang Mianmian couldn't help but laugh. "That's too spot-on. Plenty of women are after the boss, after all."

"Don't change the subject. These marks are obviously hickeys!" Fu Ranzhan pressed lightly on the red spots. "Wow, so passionate."

"No, it's probably just mosquito bites. You're mistaken. Just zip me up already!" The little lamb was losing patience.

"That must've been one massive mosquito," Fu Ranzhan quipped, mimicking Tang Mianmian's tone as she zipped up the dress.

Although the dress was a bit snug, it still looked stunning.

Tang Mianmian's face was now impossibly red—all thanks to Fu Ranzhan leading the conversation astray.

"You got bitten by a mosquito too, didn't you?" Tang Mianmian retorted.

Fu Ranzhan: "…"

The brief silence was broken by voices outside the restroom.

"Did you hear? Those two department elites—one's involved with the boss, and the other's tied to Assistant An. The best bachelors in our company are both taken. It's infuriating," a colleague said.

"Where'd you hear that? Who's the boss's partner?" another asked.

"Fu Ranzhan, obviously," the first replied dismissively.

Colleague C, almost in tears, said, "What? I gave her orders before! Do you think I'll get fired?"

Colleague B comforted her, "Don't worry. She hasn't said anything yet, has she? Just make it up to her later. But what I don't understand is why the boss assigned Fu Ranzhan to the CEO's office while Assistant An's girlfriend ended up in the president's office."

Colleague A sneered, "Don't you get it? It's to avoid suspicion. They can't be too obvious about it, right?"

The group let out understanding "ohs" as realization dawned on them.

Meanwhile, the two people inside the restroom were left utterly speechless.

Once the gossiping coworkers left, Fu Ranzhan muttered, "What the heck? Since when did I become your husband's lover?"

"And I'm supposedly An Yi's girlfriend!" Tang Mianmian lamented, almost in tears.

"A rumor repeated a thousand times becomes the truth. You'd better have your boss make things official for you!" Fu Ranzhan said with exaggerated seriousness before walking out of the restroom.

Tang Mianmian stood there, still bewildered.

Official?

Official what?

Announce to the company that she's the CEO's wife?

But she was the one who insisted on keeping it a secret in the first place.

When Tang Mianmian returned to her office, Long Yejue had already gone to a meeting, giving her a moment to breathe. She decided to make him coffee.

"Why does he insist on freshly ground coffee? It's such a waste of effort! Instant coffee is quick, easy, and cheap. What's wrong with that?" she grumbled.

Despite her complaints, she carefully followed the steps Cindy had provided, putting genuine effort into making the coffee.

Unbeknownst to her, she was pouring her heart into it.

Qi Yunmo pushed the door open, immediately catching the aroma of coffee. Turning his head, he saw Tang Mianmian focused on her task and couldn't help but smile. Walking over, he teased, "Sister-in-law, is there a cup for me too?"

Tang Mianmian froze when she saw who it was—one of Long Yejue's friends.

And the same "mosquito" who had teased Fu Ranzhan yesterday.

"Big mosquito," she blurted out instinctively.

Qi Yunmo raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What mosquito?"

Realizing her slip-up, Tang Mianmian quickly shook her head. "Nothing! I just meant there's a mosquito in here!"

Qi Yunmo chuckled at her flustered state, his sharp eyes narrowing playfully. "Sister-in-law, where's our Ranzhan?"

Cough, cough, cough!

Tang Mianmian choked on air, startled by how casually he referred to Fu Ranzhan.

Qi Yunmo watched her with amusement, finding her just as endearingly clueless as her friend.

Just then, Long Yejue walked in. Seeing Qi Yunmo chatting happily with Tang Mianmian, his face darkened, and he asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"

"Don't be so unwelcoming," Qi Yunmo replied with a grin. "I came all this way just to try the coffee your wife made. It smells amazing—a rare treat."

Tang Mianmian was embarrassed by the compliment. She knew this was her first time making coffee, and it couldn't possibly match professional standards.

But someone appreciating her effort filled her with a sense of accomplishment. She was about to pour him a cup when Long Yejue's icy voice cut in. "The third young master of the Qi Corporation coming here for free coffee? How shameless."

Qi Yunmo's lip twitched. This guy—could he be any stingier?

Besides, if this place is "small," then the rest of Jiang City's businesses might as well pack up and leave!

Of course, he understood. Men are territorial creatures. Long Yejue was clearly head over heels.

Feigning indifference, Qi Yunmo smirked. "Well, I wasn't too attached to the idea of this coffee. But since you're making such a big deal out of it, I'd be letting myself down if I didn't try it."

Ignoring Long Yejue's dark expression, Qi Yunmo smiled warmly at Tang Mianmian. "Sister-in-law, one cup for me, please. Two sugars, thank you."

Caught between the two men, Tang Mianmian had no choice but to nervously pour him a cup and add two sugars.

When Qi Yunmo took the coffee, he even shot Long Yejue a victorious look, as if declaring himself the winner.

Tang Mianmian couldn't help but admire his audacity.

Taking on a tiger like this—only Qi Yunmo dared to do it.

If it were her, she wouldn't dare, even with ten times the courage.

Long Yejue narrowed his sharp eyes at Qi Yunmo for a moment before calmly pressing the intercom. "Cindy, assign Fu Ranzhan to monitor the construction site at East Lake today."

Tang Mianmian: "…"

Qi Yunmo: "…"

Qi Yunmo's face shifted through several expressions, and Tang Mianmian barely managed to stifle her laughter.

When it came to ruthlessness, no one could beat Long Yejue.

Just as Qi Yunmo was about to take a sip of coffee, he put the cup down instead, taking a deep breath before forcing a stiff smile. "Sister-in-law, since this is your coffee, I think the first cup should go to Yejue. It wouldn't be right for me to drink it first."

Tang Mianmian felt a bit overwhelmed.

Is coffee really such a big deal?

She obediently handed the coffee to Long Yejue, who calmly instructed Cindy, "Cancel the East Lake assignment for Fu Ranzhan for now."

Qi Yunmo clenched his fists, smiling through gritted teeth. "Well, I won't interrupt your coffee time. I'll see myself out."

Once he left, Tang Mianmian rolled her eyes. "Is that how you treat your friends?"

Long Yejue didn't answer but picked up the coffee instead.

As he took a sip, his expression froze.

His handsome face stiffened instantly.