When we got home, he and his grandmother broke down in tears, holding each other tight. Around the same time, the board of directors released an official statement declaring Lin Sichen the “irreplaceable backbone” of the conglomerate. The online scandal? It collapsed instantly under its own weight. He was still him—standing at the absolute top. Only this time, he looked a little lighter, as if a massive weight had finally been lifted from his chest.

Truth be told, I had been quietly orchestrating Ye Sheng’s downfall for a while. On my own, I didn’t have the leverage, so I rounded up every woman he had ever harassed or tried to prey on. A single stick breaks easily, but a bundle is unbreakable. To top it off, I retained Tang Shu as our lead counsel.

After a long evening spent grinding through legal documents, Tang Shu suggested we grab a quick drink to unwind. But before we could even order, my phone started buzzing.

“Jiang Yuan.”

“What’s up?”

“Why aren’t you home yet?”

Before I could even draft an excuse, Tang Shu snatched the phone right out of my hand. “Got it! I’ll ship your ‘fake girlfriend’ back to you right now!”

…Wait, what? Before I could process what was happening, I was shoved into the passenger seat and delivered straight back to the house.

Something about this entire dynamic… felt completely wrong. Not only were the two of them showing zero signs of rekindling their romance, but the script was also veering wildly off course.

I paced back and forth in front of the building, completely lost in thought. Just as I was deep in existential reflection… thump. I walked straight into a solid chest. Looking up, I met Lin Sichen’s eyes.

“Why are you pacing down here instead of coming upstairs?”

He stood there with his hands shoved into his pockets. The warm glow of the streetlamp washed over him, making the scene look… almost absurdly peaceful.

“Oh… no reason.”

He let out a soft, rare cough, looking genuinely flustered. “Could you… keep a bit of distance from Tang Shu?”

I froze, a strange, sour pang blossoming in my chest. Was he worried I was going to play the jealous villain and sabotage his White Moonlight?

“Relax, I’m not going to fight her for you.”

He knitted his brows. “Fight for what…? I’m worried she’s going to fight me for—”

He cut himself off abruptly, as if a lightbulb had just gone off in his head. “Wait… do you misunderstand my relationship with Tang Shu?”

“Aren’t you two childhood sweethearts with a deep, tragic history?”

He let out a low, breathless laugh. “Our grandmothers are old friends. She stayed at my house for a little while when we were kids. If you want to call that childhood sweethearts… it’s the ‘roommates for convenience’ edition.”

He paused for a beat, his tone dropping. “There was never anything between us. Besides, she isn’t into men.”

Me: ……

So I had been writing and starring in my own inner tragic romance this entire time? Someone hand me a shovel so I can dig my own grave and jump in.

With Ye Sheng out of the picture, new job offers started rolling in naturally, and his grandmother’s health steadily improved. I figured it was time to step back onto my own path. So, on a bright, sunny afternoon, I formally proposed a “peaceful breakup.”

He gave me a single-word reply: “Okay.”

Succinct. Cold. Classic CEO style.

He didn’t come home that night. By the time I finished packing, I looked around the empty villa and felt a matching emptiness hollow out my chest.

The next morning, he stumbled through the front door, utterly plastered, and collapsed straight into my arms.

“Why did you drink so much?”

“Jiang Yuan… I can still drink!”

I let out a heavy sigh. “How… how old are you again?”

He held up three fingers, looking immensely proud of himself. “Six!”

…Here we go again. After suffering through his usual “regressive toddler routine,” he started demanding a “big sister kiss.” Utterly helpless, I wiped his face with a towel. But the moment I leaned down, he grabbed me and pulled me into a real kiss.

My mind went entirely blank. Right then, the moving crew knocked on the door. Reality slapped me hard in the face. Jarred awake, I pulled away and resumed packing. He lay silently on the sofa, not uttering a word.

Just as I was about to drag my suitcase out and close the door—clack. His hand slammed against the frame, blocking the gap. His knuckles were pale, his voice thick and raspy.

“Jiang Yuan… can I confess to you?”

My heart skipped a beat. The past three months had felt like a breathtaking dream. But dreams are just dreams. I wasn’t sure if these feelings were real, or if I had simply “gotten too deep into character.” I couldn’t bring myself to accept a relationship built on uncertainty.

I unclasped the jade bracelet from my wrist and held it out to him. “No, you can’t.”

I threw myself back into work, and my career took off seamlessly. Step by step, I was closing the distance toward the ideal version of myself. But in exchange… I gained a rather “sweet nuisance.”

Lin Sichen was courting me. His strategy was straightforward, yet absurdly high-maintenance: whenever I ignored him for too long—ding—a few million RMB would instantly land in my bank account.

Look, I love money, but I’m not the type to sell my soul to a bank balance. So, to keep him from reckless wire transfers, I was forced to reply to his texts.

And he turned out to be an absolute chatterbox: sharing everything from the multi-million-dollar deals he signed that day to how nice the weather was. I seriously suspected he had been possessed by a different soul. Where was the “ice-cold tycoon” persona?

He just pouted, muttering cutely, “How would I ever dare to be cold to you?”

Staring at my rapidly deepening bank account, then looking at a face that made the entire office drool, I thought: Whatever. Whether he was acting or not, the drop-dead gorgeous face and the willingness to spend on me were 100% real.

So, one rainy night, as he stood waiting for me outside my office, I took the initiative. “Lin Sichen, I want to go for a drink.”

He shot back instantly, without a second thought, “No.”

“I want you to come with me.”

He hesitated for a split second. “…Well, in that case, I guess it’s not entirely out of the question.”

We never made it to the bar. The moment the distance between us closed to a single breath, everything blew up all over again.

Living as the “Crown Prince’s” girlfriend could basically be summed up in two words: completely inseparable.

I moved back into his villa. From then on, regardless of time or place, he would randomly lean in to steal a kiss. It got so bad he had to set a new rule for the butler and staff: “Knock before entering the living room from now on.” …Very proactive of him.

Even when we visited his grandmother, he showed zero restraint. One afternoon, while we were sitting by the koi pond, he leaned in, but I instantly slapped a palm over his mouth. He pivoted seamlessly into helpless victim mode.

“Do you not love me anymore? It’s fine if you don’t like me… just don’t leave me, okay? I can even be your side piece if that’s what it takes.”

Me: …???

Where on earth did his corporate pride go?

He explained with a completely straight face, “The moment you kissed me by the side of the road that night, I threw my pride out the window.”

With that, he gently pushed my hand aside and leaned back in…

“Ahem.”

A shadow fell over us. I froze solid. “G-Grandma?!”

I wanted nothing more than to dive straight into the koi pond. Lin Sichen, however, remained utterly unbothered. “Grandma, your granddaughter-in-law is shy. If you scare her off, you’re going to have to take full responsibility.”

His grandmother beamed, her eyes crinkling into happy crescents. “Carry on, carry on! I love watching young people in love.”

Me: ……

Then she turned around and scolded him outright: “I have no idea when you’re actually going to manage to marry her. What a useless grandson!”

Lin Sichen turned back to wrap his arms around my waist, his voice soft and needy. “Help me out here, sweetheart… help me become a ‘useful’ grandson?”

I helped him out. We went and registered for our marriage certificate. That very night, Lin Sichen indulged his desires far too excessively.

The next morning, the moment I opened my eyes, I shot up in panic. “Lin Sichen! This is all your fault! I’m late!”

He leaned against the doorframe, looking effortlessly lazy, his tone dripping with fake remorse. “Yeah, my bad. Next time… I’ll try to do better.”

The smirk playing on his lips, however, made it abundantly clear he had zero intention of changing. I couldn’t explain why a single line from him still made my face flush red. I was officially beyond saving.

Years down the road, we had a wedding, had a kid, and watched the years slip by before we even realized how fast time was moving. As for Lin Sichen—the once ice-cold tycoon—he transformed into a doting dad who was perpetually jealous of his own son.