Ruined his good moment.

"Oh ho! Tang Mianmian, you've learned to clap back, huh? Looks like your married life has been quite fulfilling lately? That big boss of yours must be feeding you well—chubby and glowing—planning to eat you up in one bite?"

Tang Mianmian: "…"

"Oh! Blushing now? So you have been eaten. How was it?" Fu Ranjan continued her shameless teasing.

Tang Mianmian threw a pillow at her.

"Look at that—mad from embarrassment! I hit the mark, didn't I?"

"Shut up already!" Tang Mianmian finally snapped.

Was this really her friend? More like her nemesis!

Fu Ranjan could tell she was about to get genuinely annoyed, so she stopped with the teasing and instead asked with a smile, "Judging by that gloomy face and lack of sass, what's up? Something on your mind?"

Tang Mianmian nodded hard.

Just a moment ago, she'd been overwhelmed by Fu Ranjan's snark, but now she found her friend incredibly warmhearted.

This—this was what a bestie was supposed to be.

Fu Ranjan clicked her tongue. "It's about your hubby?"

"Partly." Tang Mianmian sighed. "I ran into someone downstairs earlier."

"Who? Shen Shaogong? Now that's a dark horse!"

"Get your mind back on track!" Tang Mianmian rolled her eyes. "It was Su Shijie's sister, Sula. I'd heard about her before, but today was the first time I actually saw her."

"Oh, the Su family again. Just hearing that surname gives me a headache. That whole family's nothing but trouble!" Fu Ranjan looked like she wanted to tear the Su clan to pieces. "You really need to stop being so tolerant. The more you hold back, the more they'll think you're easy to push around, you hear me?"

"I was just… trying to respect old ties."

"And did they respect them?"

"…"

Tang Mianmian lowered her head, fiddling distractedly with the hem of her shirt.

"You've been too protected by your parents," Fu Ranjan said sincerely. "You think the world is full of good people and good intentions. That's why someone like Yan Youlan could fool you so easily. You need to wake up and see where you really stand—and what kind of people you're surrounded by. You can't stay this naive forever."

It was heartfelt advice, and Tang Mianmian nodded deeply.

She'd already realized it. She just kept hoping for the best in people—and that had led to her constant tolerance.

But what happened earlier, which had upset Long Yejue, made her reflect. Maybe she did need to draw a clean line.

No man would be okay with his wife still tangled up with an ex, right?

"Still, being naive isn't always bad. The way Long Yejue protects you, it's actually fine. But you have to promise one thing—cut ties with Su Shijie for good."

Fu Ranjan emphasized this again.

She just wanted her best friend to be happy—to let go of the past and be with Long Yejue properly.

She could tell Long Yejue was sincere.

When a man truly loves you, wealth and status don't matter. Just being together is enough.

"Why are we talking about him again…" Tang Mianmian mumbled softly.

Fu Ranjan burst out laughing. "Aha! Hit you right in the feels, didn't I?"

Tang Mianmian blushed and said nothing.

But Fu Ranjan saw everything—and she was genuinely happy for her friend.

**

Leaving the hospital, Tang Mianmian had felt a little down. But after her heart-to-heart with her soul-guide of a best friend, everything suddenly felt bright and full of hope.

And out of nowhere, she had a sudden urge to go to the company—to see Long Yejue.

Because she missed him.

It was lunch hour. Perfect timing. She could grab food and eat with him.

She picked up her phone, ready to call him—but paused before hitting "call."

Why not give him a surprise?

Yes. A wonderful idea.

Feeling pleased with herself, she put her phone away and headed to the nearby food court.

Long Yejue had picky taste—he definitely wouldn't go for ordinary food. So she chose a high-end restaurant and ordered a customized lunch.

Holding the carefully packed lunch box with a happy heart, she made her way to Jue Corporation.

Thanks to previously coming and going with Long Yejue—and her status as a Jue Corp employee—the front desk and security didn't question her at all.

She took the elevator and pressed the floor for the CEO's office, imagining how Long Yejue would react when he saw her.

Would it be surprise? Shock? Amazement?

But knowing his cold personality… probably none of the above.

Still, she couldn't wait!

Since it was a public elevator, lots of people were going in and out. She ended up running into two familiar faces—Meijia and Xiaoyue from the finance department.

When they saw her, they lit up. "Mianmian! We heard you got transferred to the CEO's office. We're so jealous!"

Back when she joined, her major wasn't even relevant, so people had always wondered how she got hired.

Now she was in the CEO's office—a leap indeed.

Tang Mianmian gave a sheepish smile. "Just lucky, I guess…"

No way she could admit that the "luck" was actually marrying the boss.

"You really are lucky," Xiaoyue said, tone a bit sour. "We've been here three years and barely seen the CEO a few times. You get to work right under him."

Tang Mianmian tried to make herself invisible.

"That lunchbox—is it for Assistant An?" Meijia pointed to the food she was holding.

Tang Mianmian froze for a second, confused—then remembered the old misunderstanding that she was An Yi's girlfriend. That's where the comment came from.

To keep things low-key about her relationship with Long Yejue, she nodded. "Yeah, it's for him."

"You two are so sweet," Meijia said with a look of envy.

Xiaoyue wasn't nearly as friendly. "Sure, Assistant An's got potential, but compared to our boss? He's way out of his league. As long as the boss isn't married, I still have a chance!"

Meijia snorted with laughter. "Oh come on, Xiaoyue, even if he was married, you could still be the mistress!"

"You're the mistress! Your whole neighborhood is full of mistresses!" Xiaoyue snapped back instantly.

Tang Mianmian felt like crying—here they go again. Arguing. Please, dear heavens, spare her from this chaos.

Thankfully, the two finally got off the elevator, and for the first time, peace returned to her world.

The elevator stopped at the executive office floor. Tang Mianmian's tense heart finally relaxed a little as she walked in with the lunch box.

The executive floor was as busy as ever.

After all, this was where Jue Corporation's elite worked—top-tier professionals, all hired for their talent and brains. No one dared slack under the watchful eye of their high-efficiency boss.

Cindy was coming out with some paperwork when she spotted Tang Mianmian with the lunch box in hand. She blinked in surprise before asking, "Miss Tang, weren't you on leave?"

"I was… I came to… bring lunch," Tang Mianmian said vaguely, avoiding saying Long Yejue's name.

She could only offer an awkward smile.

Cindy clearly got nervous. She hesitated for a moment, weighing her options before saying, "Please wait here. I'll go notify him."

Notify?

Tang Mianmian blinked, puzzled.

She was just here to bring lunch to Long Yejue—why would she need to be announced?

Where's the surprise in that?

She quickly stopped Cindy. "It's okay, no need to trouble yourself. You're busy. I'll just go in myself."

Now Cindy looked downright panicked. Her usually composed expression cracked. "I still think I should notify him first."

"No need, really!"

"I-I just think it'd be better… You know how much the boss hates being disturbed during work." Cindy was nearly in tears.

Seeing her like that, Tang Mianmian grew suspicious. She glanced at the CEO's office door and finally asked, "Is there an important guest inside?"

Cindy didn't know whether to nod or shake her head. She was stuck in a panic spiral when Tang Mianmian took the initiative and started walking to the door.

Cindy rushed forward to stop her. "Miss Tang, I really don't think this is a good idea—"

"What's wrong with it? I'm the president's personal secretary. I have every right to enter my workplace, don't I?"

The more Cindy tried to stop her, the more suspicious Tang Mianmian became.

Even if there was a VIP inside, it shouldn't warrant this much resistance, right?

Seeing she could no longer stop her, Cindy closed her eyes like she was facing the gallows.

Tang Mianmian flung the door open and scanned the room with probing eyes.

A thick cloud of perfume hung in the air—so strong it was nearly choking.

And the source of that overpowering scent?

A stunningly glamorous woman sitting at the desk.

No wonder Cindy had tried to stop her!

Now Tang Mianmian understood perfectly.

So this was what he got up to when she wasn't around—flirting with other women?

She tightened her grip on the lunch box and stared coldly at the two inside.

Interrupted, Shen Xiao'ai was clearly annoyed. She pouted and asked, "Jue, who is she? Barging into your office like that—how uncivilized."

Long Yejue was already annoyed with Shen Xiao'ai's clinginess. Now, with Tang Mianmian catching them like this—ugh, what a headache.

Judging by the look on her face, she was jealous.

He quickly stood up, bypassed Shen Xiao'ai, and walked straight over to her, his tone a little surprised. "You're here?"

"Surprised, huh? Sorry to interrupt your little moment," Tang Mianmian said coolly.

But the colder her voice, the messier her heart.

It felt just like that day—seeing Su Shijie and Yan Youlan in bed together. The humiliation, the helplessness, the anger—it all came flooding back.

From her tone alone, Long Yejue could tell she was truly mad.

He should've been busy explaining, but instead, a little joy crept into his heart.

She was jealous.

That meant… she cared about him.

That realization instantly calmed his own nerves. He pulled her into his arms, laughing lowly, "You really did ruin our little moment. So you'll have to pay me back—double."

He had the nerve to laugh!?

Tang Mianmian could barely contain her fury.

How thick could this man's skin be?

Saying something like that at a time like this!

Shen Xiao'ai, meanwhile, had never seen Long Yejue act this way toward any woman—gentle voice, charming smile—it was a hard blow to her pride.

Everyone in Jiang City's high society knew that the Shen family's princess, Shen Xiao'ai, had a huge crush on Long Yejue.

She'd bent over backward to win him over—so much so that people joked about her desperation.

Eventually, her grandfather had forcibly shipped her off to a strict international finishing school.

Long Yejue had finally enjoyed a few peaceful years—until now.

This girl had not only graduated, she graduated early—and the moment she returned, instead of visiting her family, she made a beeline for Jue Corp.

All just to see Long Yejue.

She had hoped to show off her new, "mature" charm. But not only did he remain indifferent, now a delivery girl had barged in and totally stolen his attention.

How was a proud princess supposed to handle that?