Show off wife

"Mmmph... mmmph..." She struggled a bit, and only after he had his fill did he finally let go.

Her little face was flushed red, eyes wide with anger as she gritted her teeth. "Long Yejue! Are you a dog or something?!"

"Mm, yeah, a dog—one that only bites you," he teased, lips curling into a smirk.

Tang Mianmian could only grit her teeth, wishing she could bite him back.

But thinking about the consequences, she knew she'd only suffer for it, so she held back.

They left the office together, clearly done for the day. Cindy knew he had other appointments scheduled, but seeing the situation, she also understood—the boss was prioritizing his wife now. Those so-called meetings? Totally canceled without a second thought.

Having a boss like this, she could only silently curse her luck.

The Imperial City was, as always, a place of lavish indulgence—where many got lost in the glitter and countless others numbed their loneliness.

In a luxurious private lounge, it should have been a lively cocktail party full of chatter and laughter.

But instead, everyone was awkwardly staring at one another—each holding a glass of juice...

He Xijue's mouth twitched repeatedly.

Damn it, he didn't come to the Imperial City to drink juice!

If this went on, he was gonna lose all his friends. Seriously?

Qi Yunmo must've lost his mind—who the hell throws a "juice party"?

Party, my ass!

Juice was for toddlers, alright? It didn't match his image as the young master He Xijue at all.

The atmosphere among the men was stiff, while Tang Mianmian and Fu Ranjan were happily chatting away, laughing like they had endless topics to cover.

This made the two ignored men a little ticked off.

They exchanged a glance, reading each other's minds, and each went to reclaim what was his.

No kidding—at a time like this, their women's eyes should only have them in it. Not even a grain of sand was allowed!

Tang Mianmian was chatting cheerfully when she was suddenly pulled back into a man's arms. Confused, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just feeling a little dizzy," he murmured as he leaned on her shoulder, subtly nuzzling.

His affectionate move gave her goosebumps all over. Blushing and flustered, she glanced around at the others.

Although their relationship had been growing closer, being this intimate in front of others still made her a little uncomfortable.

He Xijue, clearly annoyed, slammed his juice on the table and raised a brow mockingly. "Seriously, Qi Yunmo? Bro, I don't do veggie—I do meat. I haven't touched this stuff in years. What's the deal today?"

Qi Yunmo just lifted his eyes coolly, a smug smile on his lips. "My woman's pregnant. She can't drink, so it's juice only. If you don't like it, the door's right there. No one's stopping you."

He Xijue stared in disbelief. "She's the one pregnant, not us! Let her drink her juice and let us have our booze. Why make us suffer?"

But Qi Yunmo remained unbothered. "The smell of alcohol makes her nauseous."

He Xijue nearly choked on air.

This was basically forcing them into social isolation!

Fu Ranjan, however, spoke up generously, "Actually, you guys go ahead. Really, it's fine. If I weren't pregnant, I'd be drinking with you too!"

"Ranjan!" Tang Mianmian gasped, thinking she meant it.

Was she kidding? She was pregnant! How could she drink?

Qi Yunmo's face darkened instantly. "Absolutely not! Not now, not ever. No alcohol, period."

He emphasized this with extra weight.

Fu Ranjan flared up. "Why not? Just because you say so? Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?"

Having his authority challenged, Qi Yunmo snapped. He pinned her down and kissed her fiercely.

Fu Ranjan was stunned. She struggled as he invaded her mouth, but Qi Yunmo, tall and strong, had a plan. He pinned her legs with his own and restrained her arms against her chest in a scandalously intimate position.

Tsk tsk—everyone watching was practically burning up.

Tang Mianmian immediately covered her face, unable to witness her friend's tragic state.

Long Yejue leaned in and whispered with a raspy voice in her ear, "Not a bad move. Let's try it later."

Already blushing and flustered, Tang Mianmian turned crimson, pinching him hard in protest.

But Long Yejue was getting addicted to being pinched by her—it was becoming a daily must-have.

Fu Ranjan was finally subdued by the kiss, and Qi Yunmo released her, his dark eyes flashing. "I'm your man. Need me to prove it again?"

Breathless and annoyed, Fu Ranjan snapped, "Sure, you're a man. No need to prove that. But your role is just as a lover—don't overstep."

Qi Yunmo's face darkened again, the tension between them thick with unresolved emotion.

Tang Mianmian picked up on the hidden meaning in Ranjan's words and began to worry.

Mo Chengyu, trying to break the tension, changed the subject. "Jue's birthday is coming up. Any plans?"

He Xijue slapped his thigh. "That's right! We've gotta drink hard for your birthday. Let's throw a costume party, invite more women—now that's a real celebration. Juice is for toddlers, man."

Clearly, he was still bitter.

A grown man attending a juice party? What a disgrace.

"This year, just gifts are fine. No party," Long Yejue replied lazily.

He Xijue was the first to protest, unable to make sense of it. "Why not?"

Mo Chengyu also looked at him, puzzled.

Long Yejue simply pulled the woman beside him closer. "It's my first birthday after getting married. Of course, I'm spending it with my wife—why would I want any of you around?"

He Xijue couldn't hold back a string of curses.

Even the ever-gentle Mo Chengyu couldn't help but mock, "Whipped husband."

Long Yejue remained completely unfazed by the jabs, looking rather smug instead. "Whipped? So what? At least I have a wife to be whipped by. You two don't even have that."

His expression was the definition of smug—utterly insufferable.

The two single men could only look to the heavens, speechless.

Since when did showing off your wife become trendy?

"You're all here." The door opened, and Su Xi's delicate face appeared in the doorway. Spotting Tang Mianmian nestled in Long Yejue's arms, she paused slightly, her eyes dimming before she forced a smile.

He Xijue jumped to his feet to greet her, fawning, "What brings you here? Did you drive yourself?"

"Yeah. I was meeting a friend here and the manager mentioned you were all in this room, so I stopped by. I'm not interrupting, am I?" Su Xi's eyes kept drifting toward the man on the couch.

But from the moment she entered, he hadn't even looked at her.

Of course it hurt.

Luckily, years of emotional self-conditioning and He Xijue's antics helped her recover quickly.

From the moment Su Xi entered, Tang Mianmian could feel her gaze and started to feel uneasy, wanting to move away from Long Yejue.

But the second she shifted, the man pinched her waist in protest. With a teasing glint in his peach blossom eyes, he whispered, "Move again, and I'll kiss you. I promise it'll be even more intense than theirs."

Tang Mianmian knew he meant every word. She didn't dare move and had no choice but to let him hold her.

With Fu Ranjan subdued, Qi Yunmo finally spoke up, "This gathering is really just to let you all know—from now on, she's my woman. Keep that in mind."

Fu Ranjan muttered something, but the music was too loud for most to hear.

Except for Tang Mianmian, who was close enough to catch every word.

She leaned in and whispered to Long Yejue that she was stepping out, then stood to pull Fu Ranjan along. "Come with me to the restroom."

Qi Yunmo clearly didn't like the idea and was about to object when Fu Ranjan quickly said, "I need to go too."

Reluctantly, he let her go.

After the two women left, He Xijue snarked, "Women are such trouble—even peeing needs to be done in pairs."

Qi Yunmo scoffed, "It's called friendship. Don't tell me you've never gone to the bathroom in a pack with your guy friends?"

He Xijue was so roasted he nearly spat blood.

Was today his turn to be the butt of every joke?

He sighed dramatically. "At least Yu is decent—never bad-mouths anyone, right?"

He looked at Mo Chengyu for support.

Mo Chengyu took a sip from his glass and added calmly, "Not only did he go to the bathroom with guys—he even picked up the soap."

"You bastard!" He Xijue exploded, humiliated.

This friendship was clearly doomed.

Face like thunder, he growled, "I'm going out for a smoke. You lot enjoy tearing each other apart."

He slammed the door on his way out.

Everyone was used to his fiery temper. They were all close friends, after all—no hard feelings.

Su Xi finally found a chance to speak to Long Yejue and sat down nearby, asking softly, "Your birthday's coming up—how are you planning to celebrate?"

Qi Yunmo, knowing Su Xi's feelings, smirked and answered for him, "Didn't he just say? He's spending it alone with his wife. No party."

"What?" Su Xi looked stunned and a little hurt. "Grandpa's okay with that?"

Long Yejue's eyes turned cold, and he replied casually, "Grandpa probably couldn't be happier."

"Why?" Qi Yunmo was curious.

"Why? He wants a great-grandchild, obviously."

Su Xi's face turned pale, her grip tightening around her glass. After a long moment, she forced herself up and mumbled something about making a call before leaving the room.

Suffocating.

Sometimes, the one who's always been your source of oxygen—once they pull away—you're left gasping, piece by piece losing your soul, your heart hollowing out.

To her, Long Yejue had always been that oxygen.

In the restroom, Tang Mianmian asked with concern, "Just now, you said he could never marry you. What did you mean?"

Fu Ranjan gave a faint smile, one that never reached her eyes. "Our worlds are too far apart. Marriage isn't even an option."

"I get that." Tang Mianmian looked at her with sympathy. "The baby… it's his, isn't it?"

"Probably," she answered, almost too casually.

Tang Mianmian grew anxious. "What do you mean, 'probably'? Then what's your relationship with Qi Yunmo now? If the baby isn't his, why is he so concerned?"

Fu Ranjan could no longer smile. Her face grew solemn, and after a long silence, she whispered, "Mianmian, I think I'm in too deep."

"What do you mean?" Tang Mianmian was caught off guard, especially seeing the overwhelming sorrow in her friend's eyes. It frightened her.

Was this still the same cheerful, lively friend she knew?

What had happened to her lately?

Before she could ask more, the sound of a voice came from outside.