Am I yours now?

As soon as those words left his mouth, Tang Mianmian's cheeks flushed red, and she felt a sudden urge to bury her face in shame.

This man… he had no shame at all.

Everyone else stood frozen in shock.

Was this still the same cold and aloof young master?

What happened to being all icy and indifferent?

Zhu Wenyi's face turned black with rage, but she couldn't really say anything in front of everyone.

Instead, the old master burst out laughing, teasingly saying, "You brat, talking like some reckless punk. Where's all that composure gone?"

The one being scolded didn't even flinch. He just took Tang Mianmian's hand and swaggered out of the hall.

The rest of the crowd could only watch and sigh in amazement.

Only Long Yecheng truly understood what those words meant.

Just yesterday, he'd said that Long Yejue couldn't even protect his own woman.

Now, Long Yejue's words were nothing short of a declaration of war.

Fine. Very well.

He let out a cold, eerie chuckle.

Meanwhile, Su Wanru clenched the spoon in her hand, her gaze filled with venom.

This change in Long Yejue was not a good sign for her.

It could only mean one thing: Tang Mianmian had already become different from all the other women in his heart.

She had to stop this from going any further!

She must!

Long Yejue could only belong to her!

The fork in her hand dug into her palm painfully, but she didn't even feel it—completely lost in her delusions.

**

Tang Mianmian's cheeks burned hotter and hotter, and being led by the hand made her head buzz—she couldn't think straight at all.

That one sentence of his had been like thunder.

It had shaken the entire Long family—and shaken her too.

Maybe the effect would reach even further.

Seeing her flushed and dazed, Long Yejue looked at her with concern. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No…" She shook her head quickly, avoiding his deep gaze, and hesitated before saying, "I'm really grateful that you stood up for me just now, but… wasn't that a little too much?"

She didn't want people to dislike her.

Long Yejue raised an eyebrow, eyes gleaming. "Shouldn't you just be thankful I defended you?"

"I am, of course," she said quickly. "It just felt a bit too dramatic. What if your sister gets mad?"

Long Ruoshui already didn't like her—this public slap in the face would definitely tick her off.

"With that spoiled temper of hers, it's about time she got a reality check. And you—why didn't you say anything about being uncomfortable and giving her the car?"

And she hadn't said a word about it afterward.

If he hadn't checked the security footage, she probably would've kept it to herself forever.

He stopped walking and held her shoulders, making her look him in the eye. His tone was serious. "Mianmian, you have to understand—I'm your husband. You can tell me about anything that upsets you. And as your husband, I won't let you suffer any injustice or harm."

His words were a bit domineering—but deeply touching.

She gently took his hand off her shoulder and smiled with her eyes curved. "So this is your way of announcing to everyone that I'm officially yours?"

"Damn right."

She couldn't help but laugh.

Her heart was full—words weren't needed.

Since Long Yejue still had company matters to handle, he told her to rest once they returned to Nian Garden and then drove off.

Feeling bored, Tang Mianmian sat in a lounge chair on the balcony, flipping through a few books she found in his study.

Most of his collection was about business, so finding some light literature had been a pleasant surprise.

She pulled them all out to pass the time.

Just like Fu Ranjan had said—she'd only been married to Long Yejue for less than a month, yet already she had all this free time.

Back then, she used to hustle nonstop, every single day.

There wasn't a moment's rest.

She had barely read a few pages when someone called out to her from downstairs.

She poked her head out and saw Long Yecheng flashing a bright smile and waving up at her. "Sister-in-law, got a moment?"

Tang Mianmian was surprised.

She recalled how Uncle Xu had told her it was Long Yecheng who'd taken her to the hospital after she fainted, which made her feel grateful. She smiled and nodded. "Sure, what's up?"

"Wait for me a sec."

He turned quickly and entered through a side door. Before long, someone was knocking at her door—so fast it startled her.

Long Yecheng and Long Yejue were complete opposites.

Maybe it was because Long Yejue was the eldest son—he was mature, calm, and composed.

Long Yecheng, on the other hand, was bright and cheerful, always carrying a healing sort of smile—no woman could resist it.

Truthfully, both men—given their looks and their background—were irresistible to just about anyone.

Tang Mianmian put down the book and opened the door. The man was slightly out of breath and then said, "I need a favor—can you help me?"

He looked so sincere that she couldn't refuse. She nodded. "Sure, depending on what it is."

"It's just…" he seemed a little embarrassed, "a friend of mine is sick and in the hospital. I want to go visit her, but I'm worried she might get the wrong idea. So I was hoping you could come with me."

So that's what this is about...

As someone who enjoyed a bit of gossip now and then, Tang Mianmian caught on quickly. She curled her lips into a teasing smile. "Is it a girl who has a crush on you?"

"Yeah," Long Yecheng admitted. "She got hurt because of me. I don't like her, but for the sake of decency, I have to visit her. I just couldn't come up with a good excuse, so I was hoping you could help me out."

Tang Mianmian felt a little conflicted. "I don't mind helping, but I'm just worried about your brother…"

"Don't worry. This stays between you and me. Heaven knows, earth knows, but my big brother won't know," Long Yecheng promised solemnly, then added with a pleading look, "Help me out, okay? If I don't make her give up soon, she might keep using this self-destructive stuff to get my attention. I can handle it, but seeing her hurt herself again and again... I really can't take that."

Since it was to help someone, of course Tang Mianmian nodded. It wasn't even a big deal—if another friend had asked, she would've agreed all the same.

"Alright, wait a moment then."

"Awesome!" Long Yecheng beamed.

Tang Mianmian changed clothes, put on a coat, and followed him out.

Along the way, she asked which hospital the girl was in—turned out, it was the same one where Fu Ranjan was staying. She figured she could visit her too.

Long Yecheng naturally agreed.

But when she actually met the girl, Tang Mianmian was still surprised.

This girl had confessed to Long Yecheng multiple times, only to be rejected each time—finally, she resorted to drastic measures and tried to end her life.

Long Yecheng had brought Tang Mianmian along just to help the girl finally give up, and was thinking about how best to persuade her.

The girl was initially overjoyed to see him. Her once dull eyes lit up—but when she noticed the woman standing behind him, her expression darkened, and she stared at Tang Mianmian with intense hostility, not relaxing for even a second.

It was the first time Tang Mianmian had ever been looked at like that. It made her incredibly uncomfortable, so she just quietly stood behind Long Yecheng, not planning to say a word.

Long Yecheng addressed the girl. "Sula, this is the girlfriend I told you about. I really do have someone I like. Please stop hurting yourself like this."

Sula immediately burst into tears. "Why are you rejecting me like this? What does she have that I don't?"

"You're great, but I just don't like you," Long Yecheng replied flatly.

Sula couldn't take it and kept sobbing—just then, the door swung open and Qin Siyue rushed in with a panicked look.

"Sula, why are you crying again?"

"M-Mom…"

She only managed one word before falling silent.

Tang Mianmian felt her scalp tingle with awkwardness.

What a small world.

This girl, Sula, who fell for Long Yecheng, turned out to be Su Shijie's younger sister.

Qin Siyue paused when she saw Tang Mianmian, her face turning cold. "Why are you here?"

"I…" Tang Mianmian started to answer, but Long Yecheng quickly pulled her into his arms. "Hello, Auntie. This is my girlfriend."

Qin Siyue looked at the two in surprise, clearly struggling to process the situation.

Tang Mianmian squirmed out of his arms awkwardly and explained, "Actually, I'm his sister-in-law."

Long Yecheng looked betrayed. "Sister-in-law, how could you blow my cover like that?!"

Sula seemed slightly comforted. "So you brought your sister-in-law to trick me."

"No. She's the woman I like," Long Yecheng declared without hesitation, pulling Tang Mianmian back into his arms to prove his point.

Qin Siyue didn't dare offend someone from the Long family, so she couldn't say much—but toward Tang Mianmian, her expression was much less polite.

"Miss Tang, I don't know what your intentions are, constantly appearing around my family. You've already threatened Shijie and Lanlan's marriage, and our company's being targeted too. And now, even my daughter's involved. If you hate Shijie, take it out on me—please stop making life difficult for my children and my husband's company, can you?"

Tang Mianmian's cheeks burned from the sarcasm. She tugged discreetly on Long Yecheng's sleeve and whispered, "You handle this—I'm leaving."

She just wanted some peace in her life!

Long Yecheng clearly didn't understand how things had gotten so messy, but all he could do was nod and watch her go.

Her mood heavy, Tang Mianmian headed upstairs to visit Fu Ranjan in the obstetrics department.

The two black-suited bodyguards were still standing at the door, but they didn't stop her.

After all, she was the woman Long Yejue had brought last time. That alone was enough of a pass.

Qi Yunmo wasn't around. Fu Ranjan, clearly bored out of her mind, was flipping through a book. When she heard the door open, she thought it was him and snapped, "Seriously, how long are you planning to keep me locked up like this?"

Tang Mianmian couldn't help but laugh—her heavy mood eased by Fu Ranjan's cranky voice. "Looks like my bestie's been living the high life lately."

"Tang Mianmian?!" Fu Ranjan was overjoyed, but her expression soured at Tang Mianmian's words. "High life? What part of me looks like I'm living the high life? You heartless thing—coming to see me without bringing food. Do you know I'm stuck eating Qi Yunmo's medicinal meals every day? I'm about to puke!"

Just the mention of "medicinal meals" made Tang Mianmian remember the ones she had to eat too.

They weren't exactly tasty...

So all she could do was sympathize. "He's just worried about you—that's why he's making you eat that stuff. You should be grateful."

"Easy for you to say. Try eating it three times a day."

Tang Mianmian quickly shook her head—no way! Once was enough to scar her for life.

"So, where's your precious Yejue? Letting you wander around alone? You two are basically conjoined twins—he actually let you out of his sight?" Fu Ranjan's words were always sharp, especially with close friends. She never held back.

Fortunately, Tang Mianmian had developed a bit of resistance. "You and your man are separated too—so why would we be any different?"

"Ohhh, look at you—fighting back now! Must be that blissful married life, huh? That boss of yours has been feeding you well—so well he's probably planning to gobble you up himself!"