Chapter 2: Boyfriend.

On the day we were supposed to submit our college applications, I didn’t dare cause any more trouble. I obediently applied to Hong Kong University and secretly persuaded my mother to have our suitcases packed and ready so we could “run away” the moment my admission letter arrived.

During my last few days in Hucheng, I clung to Lin Xi like glue. Even I found myself annoying.

There were several times when I almost told him the truth. But every time I was about to open my mouth, the System’s cold electronic voice would ring in my head:

“Sorry. You do not have permission to speak.”

And just like that, I was muted.

On the day I received my online admission notice, I decided to go all in one last time.

I would trick Lin Xi into going to a hotel with me and have him all to myself.

I wanted my first time to be with the person I loved most.

The next morning, after we’d had our fill—both emotionally and physically—my mother and I quietly left Hucheng.

…

Back in the present, Lin Xi’s arm slowly loosened around me.

I was just about to reach out and hold him back when my phone rang.

The ringtone was the painfully awkward song Fu Ci himself had set for me.

Fu Ci—the male lead of the original story, a notorious playboy from Gangcheng.

Because I refused to accept my fate as someone’s “canary,” I’d been bound to the “Yes-Man” System. As long as I earned enough points by flattering and pleasing him, I would eventually regain my freedom.

Under Lin Xi’s suspicious gaze, cold sweat broke out across my back.

The System immediately issued another warning in my head.

“Host, please do not deviate from your assigned character. Otherwise, the System will forcibly activate ‘Yes-Man Mode.’”

I gritted my teeth and answered the call.

Fu Ci’s voice came through the other end, dripping with jealousy.

“Tạ Vãn, I gave you a little time off and you completely forgot how to come home? You have fifteen minutes to get in front of me. And while you’re at it, buy a few nightgowns in your size and bring them to my room.”

The temperature inside the car seemed to plunge below freezing.

I tried my best to stay calm, repeatedly murmuring, “Yes, sir,” before decisively pushing Lin Xi away.

“Mr. Lin, I have to go.”

Lin Xi leaned back, his eyes dark and icy, with a trace of resentment buried deep within them.

“Who was that?”

I looked him straight in the eye and flashed him a dazzling smile.

“My boyfriend. I’m traveling with him for work.”

This time, he didn’t try to stop me.

I got out of the car and deliberately muttered just loud enough for him to hear,

“This is so annoying. He bit my neck. I wonder if Fu Ci’s going to be mad…”

[DING! Yes-Man Points +5. Total: 95 points.]

The moment I saw the number jump, Lin Xi’s existence was instantly wiped from my mind.

Keep grinding!

Freedom was almost within reach!

When I reached Fu Ci’s room, I hurriedly put on my old black-rimmed glasses and added another layer of dark foundation to conceal the bite mark on my neck.

“Mr. Fu, here are the nightgowns you asked for.”

I lowered my head and presented him with six painfully eye-catching nightgowns.

Fu Ci was wearing nothing but a bathrobe, his chest exposed and droplets of water still clinging to his abs.

But I barely noticed.

My attention was completely occupied by the overwhelming scent of roses filling the room.

And by the sight of Shen Shulei—his so-called “white moonlight”—sweetly asking him to dry her hair.

With the professionalism of a seasoned assistant, I asked,

“Mr. Fu, would you like me to prepare a late-night meal for you and Miss Shen? I can get started right away.”

Unexpectedly, Fu Ci exploded.

“Tạ Vãn, do you have no shame? Is this what I keep you around for? Do you even understand how important the contract with Fangtai is?”

I pressed my lips together and answered softly,

“I understand.”

“You understand, yet you still had time to wander around outside for that long? Get back to your room. I want the final proposal on my desk tomorrow morning.”

Bang!

The door slammed shut decisively, leaving me no chance to argue.

I rubbed my nose and quietly returned to the room next door, completely baffled.

Had the boss accidentally swallowed a stick of dynamite today?

Usually, whenever he was busy with “someone else,” he would still order me to prepare nourishing soup for him.

He really could flip his attitude faster than a dog chasing its tail.

At the banquet hosted by the Fangtai Group, I stuck to my usual understated style.

A lot of people wondered why Fu Ci had brought me instead of Shen Shulei.

The answer was simple.

Over the past four years, I’d worked my way up from a lowly assistant to executive assistant—and then from executive assistant to his “canary.”

Even when I was locked away in his mansion, work still followed me everywhere.

Put bluntly, I was just a highly paid employee with a fancy title.

The moment I entered the ballroom, I could feel the unfriendly stares.

The whispers among the wealthy ladies weren’t exactly subtle.

“She looks so respectable. Who would’ve thought she’d become someone’s kept woman?”

“I heard she worked her way up from the very bottom. Apparently, she even gets along peacefully with Mr. Fu’s fiancée.”

“Keep your voice down. She’s here!”

Fu Ci and I exchanged a glance.

A giant question mark seemed to hang between us.

Two days ago, everything about the meeting had gone smoothly. Yet today, the atmosphere had completely changed.

Before either of us could say a word, Mrs. Fang spoke, her voice laden with implication.

“Cooperation? My husband once told me that business partners should come from stable families. Otherwise…”

Her gaze swept over the room.

“…when the home front catches fire and family members turn against one another, the consequences can be disastrous.”

Her sharp eyes landed directly on Fu Ci.

“Don’t you agree, Mr. Fu?”

The words were aimed at Fu Ci, but they felt like a slap across my face.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment—and with the sting of watching a lucrative contract slip further and further out of reach.

The business world really was a battlefield.

Fu Ci’s expression darkened visibly.

He grabbed me and dragged me into a secluded corner before shoving me hard against the wall.

Bang!

My bangs fell over my eyes.

Fu Ci pulled out a stick of incense-scented tobacco, took a long drag, and muttered,

“What are we supposed to do now? Mrs. Fang is hopelessly old-fashioned. If we can’t land this major contract, the Fu family will end up in that bastard’s hands.”

My back ached from the impact, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Just when we seemed to have run out of options, I suddenly remembered something.

“I heard the chairman of the Mowan Financial Group is here tonight. The company was only established recently, but its scale is already second only to the Fang Group. And it has enormous potential.”

Fu Ci was already growing impatient when someone outside suddenly shouted,

“Mr. Lin of Mowan has arrived!”

The entire ballroom fell silent for a second before everyone turned toward the entrance.

A tall man walked in, his presence commanding attention in an impeccably tailored suit.

Even Mrs. Fang rose to greet him personally.

And all I wanted to do was sigh.

Because that “Mr. Lin”…

was Lin Xi.

After exchanging the necessary pleasantries, Lin Xi didn’t go anywhere else.

He walked straight toward us.

More precisely—

toward me.

I probably looked a little pathetic at that moment. My clothes were disheveled, and my hair was a mess after Fu Ci had shoved me against the wall.

Lin Xi approached without saying a word.

Then, silently, he took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

I stood completely still, my emotions tangled beyond words.

Both his hands remained resting on my shoulders.

His cold, commanding gaze lowered toward Fu Ci.

“Mr. Fu, women are meant to be cherished.”

From somewhere behind us, the wealthy ladies erupted into another round of whispers.

“Oh my God. Am I seeing things? Mr. Lin just put his jacket on that little vixen!”