Chapter 47

What in the world was Lin Zongheng up to? Did he want the whole city to know his antics? Wasn't he ashamed of the scandal? And wasn't Gao Lüxing being a bit *too* attentive? As Han Qian watched Gao Lüxing and Sun Ya disappear down the hallway, he couldn't shake the furrow from his brow.

"Hey, what are you staring at, Brother Qian?"

Su Liang clapped him on the shoulder. When Han Qian turned, Su Liang startled and took a step back, his eye twitching.

"Rough weekend, huh?"

Han Qian let out a weary sigh.

"Couldn't be helped—this is life. You two look like you were up late too, judging by those dark circles."

"Not too bad. Brother Qian, your money sure doesn't last long, huh?"

"Get lost."

Everyone had their own way of living. Su Liang believed in living for the moment, spending his youth and energy freely. Han Qian didn't interfere—nor did he want to. While they chatted idly, Yang Lan arrived. She clearly had a fondness for blue: a sleek blue business skirt, nude stockings, and a chiffon blouse. Her long hair was coiled at the back of her head, accentuating the graceful curve of her fair neck. Yang Lan was always beautiful, but today she seemed to have gone out of her way—she looked positively radiant.

Su Liang and Han Qian exchanged a glance, then struck exaggerated poses and called out in unison,

"Miss, can we have your number?"

Yang Lan froze mid-step, mortified as every colleague in the lobby turned to stare. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she spun around to chase them down, heels clicking furiously.

There was a touch of bashful anger in her expression, and her quick, elegant steps had a charm of their own. But to Han Qian and Su Liang, there was nothing charming about what came next—Yang Lan grabbed each of them by the ear, ignoring their frantic pleas for mercy, and dragged them bodily into the elevator.

As they stepped out, Han Qian heard the murmurs of those left behind.

"Manager Yang really is beautiful today."

"She's always been lovely—she just never bothers to dress up."

"Never mind Manager Yang—even those two in the general office, Han Qian and Su Liang, they're pretty handsome themselves. Why are all the good-looking guys in the general office?"

Yang Lan flushed even deeper at the whispers behind her. When she finally released them in the general office, Liu Jiulong's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"Lan… Lanlan…"

Yang Lan ignored him, pointing an accusatory finger at the two troublemakers.

"You two—"

Before she could finish, Han Qian raised his hand in surrender.

"Yang-jie, I'm off to report to President Yan. This was all Su Liang's idea. I'll just be going."

"Hey, hey, hey! Brother Qian, you can't just ditch me here—"

But Han Qian had already fled the scene, leaving Su Liang to Yang Lan's wrath. As he made his escape, he heard her ordering Su Liang to clean the entire general office. Han Qian silently thanked his lucky stars he'd run fast enough. When he reached Yan Qingqing's office, the "Empress of Nightmares" was already hard at work. Documents were stacked high on her desk, and Xiao Yangjia bustled about busily. Han Qian quietly took a seat on the sofa and flipped through a fashion magazine, waiting for her attention.

After a while, Yan Qingqing finally looked up.

"The preliminary work is done. The authorities are already preparing to relocate the residents. In about a month, we can start looking for contractors. I can assign you to work on this with the project team."

Han Qian leaned back against the sofa, speaking softly.

"Let the project team handle negotiations. But I want to see the blueprints myself, and supervision should go through the general office."

Yan Qingqing's gaze sharpened when she saw the bruises on his face. Her voice turned cold.

"Fighting again? Han Qian, you're a grown man—do you have anger issues? What were you and Gao Lüxing discussing downstairs this morning?"

She rose, circling the desk to stand before him. For once, she actually looked the part of a professional—black suit, though incongruously paired with pink bunny slippers. Han Qian covered his face with his hand, shaking his head.

"He asked about the bruises. I lost my temper a couple of days ago and got into a fight. President Yan, I don't know what's going on between you and Gao Lüxing, but he keeps trying to recruit me."

Yan Qingqing took the magazine from his hands and set it on the coffee table, then perched herself on the edge, so close Han Qian instinctively leaned back. She leaned in slightly, and just as he was about to pull away again, she suddenly grabbed his collar and yanked him forward.

"I just wanted to see how bad it was—what are you backing away for?"

Han Qian gave her an innocent look and mumbled,

"I thought you were going to kiss me."

That cracked her composure—Yan Qingqing's lips curved into a radiant smile, and she even fluttered her lashes at him playfully. Han Qian blinked in surprise, only to feel a sharp pain in his arm. Before he realized it, she had him pinned, twisted back against the sofa. She giggled softly.

"Little Han—do you want a kiss from your Empress?"

Han Qian said nothing. Yan Qingqing tilted her head.

"Gao Lüxing *is* trying to win you over. Most of the talents I've found have already been poached by him. Only a few are left—Song Qing in HR, Yang Lan in the general office. You really think I put you there to punish you? Every time I succeed, it means Gao Lüxing fails. He's always wanted my position. You think he'd let me keep anyone close? You need money, I'm giving you a chance to earn it. But if you ever betray me, I'll tell Wen Nuan you slept with me and didn't pay."

"You're making it sound almost tempting."

"Sleeping with me?"

"I meant Gao Lüxing's offer, not sleeping with you. I'd be too scared you'd strangle me in my sleep."

Han Qian twisted out of her grip with ease, but in the process, he accidentally pulled her in close. Yan Qingqing's eyes blazed with fury as she realized she was in his arms. Before either of them could react further, Xiao Yangjia opened the door.

"President Yan, I—oh, you don't have to—"

She froze in shock. Han Qian tried to push Yan Qingqing away, but she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and told Xiao Yangjia in a sweet voice,

"Just leave it on the coffee table, thank you."

Face red as a tomato, Xiao Yangjia set the papers down and fled. Only then did Yan Qingqing stand up and immediately punch Han Qian in the gut.

He yelped in pain.

"What the hell was that for?"

Yan Qingqing pouted.

"Xiao Yangjia is notorious for gossip. The second she leaves this room, the whole company will think we're… involved. Eventually, it'll reach Gao Lüxing's ears. Even if you wanted to join him, he'd never trust you again. Don't blame me for playing dirty, Han Qian—this is the adult world. You know what happens to someone like me if I fail? I become a canary in a gilded cage. I'm not a man—I don't have the luxury of starting over."

Han Qian looked at her, exhausted.

"So you want everyone at Rongyao to believe we're entangled? Nightshade Empress, if you don't get married soon, I might just—"

"Reconcile with that overgrown baby? If that's what it takes, I can be generous."

"No thanks—you're getting the better end of that deal. I'd be the one suffering."