Don’t be so clever

"Hey!" Tang Mianmian cried out urgently. "Can you not flirt with me like this?!"

Long Yejue chuckled lowly. "What I meant was—whatever you bring, I'll eat."

"..."

She was always being toyed with by him. Was there no way to win anymore?

Long Yejue hung up the phone, his face full of amusement. But when he looked up at An Yi again, the charming smile vanished instantly, replaced by the composed expression of a professional CEO. "Have you seen enough?"

An Yi was clearly thrown by how quickly his boss could change faces. He coughed awkwardly before handing over a report. "This is the feedback from JR. Please review and let me know if any adjustments are needed."

Long Yejue took the document calmly, flipping through it as he asked, "How's the jewelry market research I asked you to handle?"

"It's in progress, and the team is starting to report back."

"Good. Make sure it's done quickly."

An Yi couldn't quite understand. With such a massive company like Jue's Enterprises and so many lucrative projects, why was the boss suddenly interested in opening a jewelry division?

"I'll keep close tabs on the progress," he said, despite his doubts.

After scanning the report and pointing out a few areas that needed revision, Long Yejue dismissed him to get back to work.

Just as An Yi was leaving, he paused at the door. "Sir, shall I arrange lunch as usual?"

"No need," Long Yejue replied coolly. "Cancel all future lunch orders."

An Yi was surprised. Did the boss not plan to eat lunch anymore?

But since it was a direct order, he didn't dare question it. He immediately called the restaurant that usually delivered and canceled all future orders. The chef might think the food wasn't up to standard.

Back at the villa, Tang Mianmian asked Uncle Xu to prepare some of Long Yejue's favorite dishes—she said she was bringing them to him herself.

Uncle Xu was a little surprised. The young master was picky, yes, but he'd never asked for food to be delivered every day. Something else must be going on.

He glanced at Tang Mianmian and suddenly understood something. He smiled and nodded. "Alright, I'll have it prepared right away, Young Madam. Please wait a moment."

With that taken care of, Tang Mianmian went back upstairs to read.

She realized she hadn't read a book in a long time, and it actually felt kind of nice.

At least she looked peaceful.

Her dad used to always say she was like a little boy, never able to sit still and read.

Thinking about her stubborn father made her feel a little melancholic.

She always said she'd find time to visit, but never did.

Now wasn't the time either. Her sudden marriage to Long Yejue was something her family would never accept.

They still thought she was dating her ex-boyfriend…

If they found out she'd had a flash marriage, her old-school dad would probably explode with rage.

As she was brooding over it, just as she was about to call her father or older brother, the butler knocked on her door and respectfully said, "Young Madam, the food is ready."

"Oh." She quickly put away her phone, opened the door, and stepped out.

Seeing the table set with two portions of food downstairs, she knew Uncle Xu had even prepared some for her. Her heart warmed with gratitude.

This old butler really reminded her of her late grandfather—so kind and attentive.

She said sincerely, "Thank you, Uncle Xu."

The butler looked flustered. "Please don't say that, Young Madam. It's my duty."

"Still… I want to thank you anyway," she smiled.

Uncle Xu wasn't good with words, so he just gave her a quiet smile.

In truth, Tang Mianmian's gratitude ran deep, even if she didn't quite know how to express it.

Ever since she moved into the Long family's old mansion, Uncle Xu had been shuttling constantly between Nian Garden and Huayuan.

Sometimes he spent more time at Nian Garden than with the old master—though she knew that was by his orders, she could also feel Uncle Xu's special care.

She took the electric cart to the garage, planning to drive herself to Jue's Enterprises, only to find a driver already waiting for her.

When he saw her coming, he respectfully opened the door for her.

"I can drive myself," she offered weakly.

Driver Lao Zhang smiled. "Young Master's orders—I don't dare disobey."

Of course. Long Yejue again.

She had no choice but to get in.

She now had a new appreciation for his bossy streak.

The last time she got into trouble, someone had deliberately rammed into her. It wasn't even her fault, but he didn't believe her. It hurt.

No way!

When she saw him later, she'd make it clear—he couldn't keep being so controlling.

Lost in thought, she gazed idly out the window…

And then suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.

At a red light, the car stopped, giving her a clear view.

Yan Youlan was arguing with a man in black, who had grabbed her arm and was saying something. Yan Youlan angrily yanked her hand back, and the man grew aggressive, seemingly shouting at her…

The two of them argued right there on the street…

Because of the distance and traffic noise, Tang Mianmian couldn't hear what they were saying. Just as she tried to get a better look, the light turned green.

Lao Zhang drove forward, and the two figures faded into the distance.

Tang Mianmian furrowed her brow in confusion.

That man in black…

Why did he look so familiar? Where had she seen him before?

The car arrived at Jue's Enterprises, and just as Long Yejue instructed, Tang Mianmian headed straight to the underground garage and took his private elevator up to the CEO's office.

While entering the code, she paused with a little curiosity.

870214.

It looked like a birthdate.

Whose birthday was it?

Could it be Long Yejue's?

She wasn't sure—she didn't even know when his birthday was.

As soon as she arrived, Cindy warmly welcomed her into the office.

Long Yejue was still on a business call, seemingly negotiating something important.

Tang Mianmian quietly muted herself, carefully opening the food boxes and setting the meal.

Just as she finished, he hung up the call and walked over, immediately pulling her into his arms and planting a heavy kiss on her lips. "You took so long. I thought you weren't coming."

"I was planning not to come," she teased.

But the man only grinned, his eyes gleaming playfully. "If you didn't come, I wouldn't mind going back and eating you."

"I'm a person, not food. Not suitable for consumption."

"How would you know you're not suitable if I've never tasted you?" he asked with a sly squint.

Not wanting to go down that road, Tang Mianmian shoved a bowl into his hands. "Eat this, not me."

"Mhm. Eat you," he muttered stubbornly.

She pretended not to hear.

Letting him have a little verbal fun was fine—after all, he'd been holding back so much.

Uncle Xu really was an all-rounder. The dishes were prepared perfectly to match both their tastes.

Lunch turned into something sweet and intimate.

He held her by the waist the entire time, never letting go.

Tang Mianmian was still not used to eating in a man's arms, but there was no resisting him—so she just ate like that.

After the meal, he cuddled her close. "I'll leave work early today and stop by the Royal Club."

"Drinking again?" she asked, frowning a little. She was already wary of those parties.

The last time she'd ended up drunk out of her mind.

Long Yejue knew what she was worried about and reassured her. "Don't worry. No one would dare make you drink tonight."

"Hmph, then how come someone dared last time?" she challenged.

Instead of replying, he silenced her with a kiss.

This kind of talk really ruined the mood.

But Tang Mianmian suddenly caught on to something, pushing him away with wide eyes. "Oh, I get it now—you let them do it, didn't you?!"

"Wife, don't be so smart," he said, smoothing down her ruffled feathers.

She was furious. "You scheming wolf! Were you planning to take advantage of me while I was drunk?"

"I mean, I wouldn't mind," he said breezily.

Tang Mianmian was speechless for a moment, then gave him a hard shove. "Long Yejue, how can you be so full of bad intentions? I'm telling you, I'm awful when I'm drunk! If I do something stupid, it won't just be me who's embarrassed!"

"Yeah, you're definitely terrible when you drink," he agreed without hesitation.

Their first kiss—she had drunkenly pounced on him.

And now he remembered—she had been the one to kiss him first!

That memory lit up his whole mood like fireworks. It felt better than closing a multimillion-dollar deal. "Even though your drunk self is a mess, it's kind of adorable sometimes."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or sarcasm?" she pouted.

How could a drunk person ever be adorable?

"It's the truth."

"Then what's so cute about me when I'm drunk?"

He gave a wicked grin, dark eyes sparkling. "That's a secret."

She rolled her eyes. She tried to recall what she'd done while drunk…

But she always blacked out. No way to remember. "Actually, I haven't gotten drunk many times. The first time was when I was ten—I thought my dad's wine was some kind of tasty drink, so I gulped it down and ended up drunk. I tore all his calligraphy and paintings to shreds."

Long Yejue raised his brows, half surprised, half amused. "Wow, what a glorious past."

Blushing, she asked, "Do you think I'm really unladylike?"

He was the heir of the Long family—used to being around elegant, well-mannered socialites.

She was just a rough, unpolished stone. No matter how good the raw material, without refinement, she couldn't shine like a true heirloom.

Long Yejue saw through her insecurity. He squeezed her soft cheeks and said, "You've never been the ladylike type. I figured that out a long time ago."

"Really?" she blinked. "When? Was it when I pushed Yan Youlan into the pool?"

He chuckled, offering no answer or explanation. "Speaking of that… you really had guts. So many people there, and you just stormed up and shoved the bride into the pool. She was fine, but you ended up injured. What were you thinking?"

"..."

Why did that sound a little… sour?

Blushing, she muttered, "I was just really mad at the time."

If Yan Youlan hadn't provoked her, she wouldn't have lost it like that.

But Long Yejue's focus wasn't on her anger—but rather on why she got angry. "You were willing to risk everything for Su Shijie back then."

"Aha! So you are jealous!" she grinned, finally getting one over on him.

Long Yejue huffed, then grabbed both sides of her face and stretched her cheeks until they looked ridiculous. "Of course I'm jealous! And from now on, whenever you see that Su guy—take the long way around. Otherwise, you'll be punished."

"Eating too much jealousy is bad for your stomach, too," she deflected.

His answer? A deep, sudden kiss that took her breath away.

This little troublemaker thought he was just a weak kitten?

Think again.