《My Husband Is a Snake!》


 Chapter 1

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The dense forest blocked the sunlight as the air hung hot and humid.


    The girl¡¯s clothes were stuck to her skin, wet from sweat. But those weren¡¯t the only things clinging to her. A python with shiny black scales was wrapped tightly around her body ¨C from her arms, her slender waist, and then to her slender and beautiful legs.


    As the python slowly tightened its grip, the young girl¡¯s face flushed with a strange redness. Her cherry lips slightly opened and she let out a delicate moan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Ning Yaotightened her legs as she lay in bed. Her breathing was rapid before she suddenly woke up from her sleep.


    Why was she having this dream again?


    Her body still felt the climax from her dream, the area between her legs feeling wet.


    This was too shameful!


    Ning Yaostood up and washed her face with cold water. She looked at the time and realized that it was only six o¡¯clock. There were still three hours before the interview at Glory World Corporation.


    Ning Yaowas in her third year of university this year. In order to get her internship credits, she had been preparing for to get an internship this semester. It was also to prepare for her future plans.


    Glory World Corporation was Jianghai city¡¯s leading company. The year before last, it acquired one of the internet giants and its development momentum had been moving at a terrifying pace ever since.


    According to her seniors, Glory World Corporation¡¯s overall strength was no worse than some of the older listed companies.


    If she could intern at Glory World, she would definitely be able to learn a lot of useful things.


    Since Ning Yaocould not fall back asleep, she took out a small mirror and started to put on her makeup.


    Although Ning Yaokept a low profile at school, she had always been known as the ¡®first-love goddess¡¯ by the boys since her first year in university due to her pure and innocent face.


    Since she was interviewing with Glory World Corporation, Ning Yaohad put on a mature look.


    She used her eyeliner to draw an upward arc at the end of her eyes, making her cat-like eyes look charming and seductive.


    Maturity and capability replaced the cuteness Ning Yao¡¯s face usually portrayed.


    After applying a red velvet matte lipstick, Ning Yaochanged into a work suit outfit. Although the style of the suit was very conservative, her full chest made her look very attractive in the outfit.


    With a deep breath, Ning Yaodid her best to give herself some encouragement and confidence before the interview.


    During her ride in the subway to the business district where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, all she could see were well-dressed office workers. From time to time, she would catch whiffs of all kinds of famous perfumes.


    She eventually arrived at her stop and got off. Everyone around her moved in a hurry as they solemnly looked straight ahead.


    ¡®So, this is the life of an office worker¡­¡¯ Ning Yaosnapped out of her daze and looked at the towering commercial building she was about to enter. She began to feel nervous.


    Glory World Corporation was not only famous for its company. It was widely rumored that Glory World¡¯s President, Clarence not only had a peerless face that could crush the entertainment industry, but his temperament was also as cold and abstinent as an iceberg.


    Moreover, she heard that this President of Glory World never got close to women or had a single woman as his partner.


    Could he be¡­ Ning Yaocouldn¡¯t help imagining all the possible reasons for the lack of women around the President.


    ¡°Ning Yao.¡± The moment she heard her name, she snapped out of her scandalous thoughts. She tidied up her appearance and walked into the President¡¯s office with her head held high.


    The position she was interviewing for today was the position of Assistant to the President, so the person interviewing her was the legendary ice-cold President.


    Ning Yaohad originally thought that rumors were simply that and nothing more than gossip.


    After all, she was also a fan of celebrities, and it wasn¡¯t like she had never seen handsome guys before.


    However, the moment she saw Clarence, she was stunned.


    Was there really such a good-looking man in the world?


    He had a sharp nose that made him look Eurasian, thick, black, and flamboyantly wild eyebrows, a pair of emotionless phoenix-like eyes that seemed to be tired of the world, and black eyes that had a hint of dark gold.


    At this moment, Clarence¡¯s entire body was bathed in sunlight but he still exuded a fearsome coldness.


    The moment she saw the man, Ning Yaofelt as if a gust of cold wind had blown through her heart.


    After a long time, she realized that she must have been moved by the sight of him.


    The man looked up and their eyes met. Ning Yao¡¯s body tensed up. She felt like she was being hunted.


    Clarence had smelled it the moment Ning Yaoentered the room.


    A sweet and fragrant floral fragrance mixed with the sweet smell of her blood made his blood boil.


    His Adam¡¯s apple trembled slightly, and the distant memories in his mind became clear.


    Was it her?


    Ning Yao quickly recovered from her daze and calmly introduced herself. ¡°My name is Ning Yao. I graduated from¡­¡±


    Clarence waved his hand lazily, interrupting her introduction. Only then did Ning Yaonotice that the man was already holding her resume.


    She immediately became nervous.


    She had just heard a few other interviewers talking after their session with him earlier. Some of them were from Ivy League schools, some were veterans who had been jumping between big companies, and some were high achievers¡­


    Although she was a top student at Imperial National University, she had no work experience. A big company like Glory World had no need to choose a newcomer like her.


    Still, Ning Yaodidn¡¯t want to give up such a good opportunity. She wanted to take the challenge and talk about her competitive advantage. But Clarence simply threw her resume onto the table.


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart sank and her eyes started to turn red. Was she that bad?


    This was her first interview ever and Ning Yaofelt very sad to have suffered such a big blow.


    Clarence did not expect Ning Yao¡¯s eyes to turn red all of a sudden. It reminded him of the little girl in his memory, who had also looked at him with red eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Snake, I¡¯m so cold and hungry.¡±


    The crisp and soft child¡¯s voice trembled with complaint before she burst into tears.


    This made the snake, who was originally planning to eat the little girl as dinner, a little lost for words.


    Was she taking the first strike?


    He had been foraging for food in the forest when he was suddenly attracted by the fragrance of her blood. Then, he found this little girl who seemed to have lost her way.


    The little girl¡¯s body exuded an alluring fragrance that surprised him. Since it just so happened that he was injured, preventing him from transforming, the little girl¡¯s blood would be a great supplement for him.


    He immediately opened his mouth and prepared to swallow the little girl only for his meal to unexpectedly tell him that she was hungry.

 Chapter 2

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    As the memories started to fade, the office turned even more silent. Then, Clarence let out a cough before saying, ¡°As my assistant, you will not only have to deal with documents and follow me onbusiness trips but also take care of my pet.¡±


    ¡°Pet?¡± Ning Yaowas surprised and looked up.


    The man took out his phone and handed it to her.


    Ning Yaostepped forward to receive it.


    As Ning Yaobent down to do so, Clarence¡¯s eyes suddenly caught sight of two soft white balls under her neckline and he immediately felt his body react.


    How many years had it been? How did they grow so big?


    The man gritted his teeth and suppressed the restless flame growing in his body.


    Ning Yaodid not notice the change in Clarence¡¯s expression as she took the phone and played the video. The golden eyes of a small black snake as thick as her wrist suddenly met hers.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Ning Yaoexclaimed. She was not afraid, but rather surprised.


    Clarence¡¯s pet was a black snake.


    In the video, the little black snake wrapped itself around its master¡¯s arm. Its black scales shone with colorful hues under the sun, it was as beautiful as a piece of art.


    What attracted Ning Yaoto it even more so was the hand that the little black snake was wrapped around.


    His skin was as white as snow, and his muscles were tight and smooth while his slender fingers stroked the black snake¡¯s body.


    Who knew that a pair of hands could be so sexy that it could make people¡¯s hearts beat faster?


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful,¡± said Ning Yaosincerely.


    The snake was beautiful but the hands of the snake¡¯s owner were even more beautiful.


    Clarence was surprised. He was expecting Ning Yaoto throw the phone away in shock as the other interviewees had.


    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid?¡± The man¡¯s voice was deep and magnetic.


    ¡°I¡¯m more afraid of bugs.¡± Ning Yaoanswered honestly.


    She wasn¡¯t afraid of snakes because a python had saved her life when she was young.


    She had been with the python for a few months. Not only did the snake not hurt her, but it would also find many sweet fruits for her to eat.


    And that snake could talk, though a snake and a human child did not have much in common.


    It wasn¡¯t until later, when her family finally found her with the help of the rescue team, that she left the forest.


    It was the biggest fortuitous encounter in Ning Yao¡¯s peaceful life.


    However, what made Ning Yaoa little perplexed was that after puberty, she started having the same dream of being with the snake¡­which was a little ridiculous.


    Ning Yao¡¯s face reddened slightly at the thought of her recurring dreams and she clenched her fingers nervously as she waited for Clarence¡¯s instructions.


    After a while, Clarence waved his hand and said, ¡°You may return and wait for a notice from the company.¡±


    His casual indifference made Ning Yaoturn pale. Did she fail the interview?


    Ning Yaowas still in a daze as she walked out of his office.


    Could it be that her brother was right? Without the support of her family, she couldn¡¯t succeed in anything?


    Right after Ning Yao walked out, He Huai1 slowly heaved a sigh of relief.


    The increasingly sweet scent on her body after not seeing her for so many years almost made him lose control of himself.


    He Huai looked at the photo on the resume again and smiled faintly. ¡°I finally found you.¡±


    Ning Yaoreturned to her room, washed up, and lay on her bed.


    Not long after, her roommates, Song Ying and Xu Na, also returned.


    Song Ying had brought back the fried chicken from the canteen for Ning Yao. When she saw the listlessness on Ning Yao¡¯s face, she couldn¡¯t help but ask with concern, ¡°Ning Yao, didn¡¯t you go for an interview? Why do you look so pale? Are you not feeling well?¡±


    Before Ning Yao could answer, Xu Na smiled and said, ¡°It must be because you didn¡¯t pass the interview. It¡¯s not that easy to get into Glory World. Ning Yao, you must know your limits. I¡¯ve advised you not to waste your efforts.¡±


    When Song Ying heard Xu Na¡¯s sarcasm towards Ning Yao, she said unhappily, ¡°Nana, you¡¯re going too far. Ning Yao¡¯s grades are the best in our school. She¡¯s so outstanding that she should go to a big company like Glory World. You, on the other hand, haven¡¯t even passed the CET4. Don¡¯t think that just because you can¡¯t do it, others can¡¯t!¡±


    Xu Na¡¯s expression turned ugly after hearing Song Ying¡¯s words. She snorted coldly. ¡°I¡¯m just speaking the truth. Glory World will never take a fancy to her!¡±


    Then, Xu Na rolled her eyes and went to the balcony to collect her laundry.


    Ning Yaowaved her hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Song Ying. You don¡¯t have to argue with her. I¡¯ll go to another company for an interview tomorrow. I won¡¯t be so easily defeated.¡±


    The two of them started eating the fried chicken. After they were done and had washed up, Ning Yaowas about to go to bed early. But then, her phone rang.


    After the call was connected, a respectful voice came through the speaker. ¡°Miss, Young Master heard that you went to Glory World for an interview today¡­¡±


    Ning Yaowas immediately annoyed. ¡°Does he really want to see me make a fool of myself? Go tell him that I will be going to Glory World and I won¡¯t be coming home. I won¡¯t marry that man!¡±


    Ning Yaohung up the phone angrily.


    In order to escape the marriage her family had arranged for her, she had given up her identity as the daughter of a rich family and became an ordinary student.


    But she didn¡¯t regret it. She didn¡¯t want to spend the rest of her life with someone she didn¡¯t love.


    She wanted to prove that she could make a career on her own and that she was not a canary who needed to rely on men.


    Once she had more stability in her life, she could also help her brother support the family. Then, her brother would not need to please that disgusting family so much.


    However, she had failed her first interview today¡­ Ning Yaosighed. She understood that it was normal for her to lose to those better interviewees.


    Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone rang again.


    She thought it was her brother¡¯s assistant calling again. So, after picking up the phone, she shouted without even looking at it. ¡°What?¡±


    There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a man¡¯s deep and magnetic voice. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    This voice¡­ was it Clarence?


    Ning Yaosuddenly sat up on the bed and was about to answer, but then she remembered that she was in the bedroom, so she lowered her voice and said, ¡°Mr. He.¡±

 Chapter 3

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The man chuckled. ¡°Why were you so angry just now?¡±


    Ning Yaofelt extremely embarrassed when she thought about how she had yelled at Clarence. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s nothing¡­ How may I help you, Mr. He?¡±


    Did he call to tell her that she wasn¡¯t chosen?


    ¡°After considering all interviewees, Miss Ning, you¡¯ve been hired. The probation period is two months. You can come to work tomorrow. Is there a problem?¡±


    Ning Yaowas so shocked that she was speechless.


    Was she just¡­hired?


    ¡°No problem! I can do it, even if I have to work overtime!¡± Ning Yaowas so happy that she almost jumped out of bed.


    It was the first time Clarence had heard such an enthusiastic and happy employee so willing to work overtime. He smiled.


    Ning Yao was about to say a few more words of thanks to her new boss when Song Ying, who was on the opposite bed, suddenly shouted, ¡°Ning Yao, who are you talking to? Why are you speaking in such a hushed voice? Is he your boyfriend?¡±


    Her other two roommates, Xu Na and Bai Jie also looked over curiously.


    ¡°Is he the one who sang love songs to you outside the dormitory last time? That guy¡¯s singing is really bad, but he¡¯s very handsome!¡±


    ¡°Or is it the computer science senior? Didn¡¯t you say he was a good person?¡±


    The more they guessed, the more excited they became. Ning Yao, on the other hand, was so embarrassed that she wanted to hang up the phone.


    But she didn¡¯t dare to hang up on her future boss, so she put on her slippers and sneaked out of the dormitory.


    Since she no longer had to be so quiet, she quickly called out into the phone. ¡°Mr. He? Mr. He?¡±


    The man on the other end of the phone was silent for a long time. Although she could not see his expression, Ning Yaosomehow felt that he was not in a good mood.


    ¡°Miss Ning¡­ It seems that you are quite popular in school.¡± Clarence¡¯s deep and magnetic voice finally came, but the tone was cold.


    Ning Yaosmiled awkwardly. ¡°No, not really¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, does Miss Ning have a boy- I mean, you might be busy with work in the future. So I don¡¯t know if you will be able to balance your work and personal life then,¡± said He Huai flatly as if he just wanted to talk business.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a boyfriend. I only have work and studies in my heart.¡± Ning Yaoreplied seriously.


    She was not wrong. She was not very interested in men.


    In other words, she hadn¡¯t met the man she was interested in yet.


    He Huai nodded with relief when he heard her response, thinking that it was a good thing that his future wife had not been taken away.


    ¡°Okay, then you should rest early and report to work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, goodnight, Mr. He!¡± Ning Yaoexcitedly responded.


    The moment they ended the call, Ning Yaocouldn¡¯t help herself from happily spinning in circles in the hallway.


    She was going to work at Glory World!


    When the next day came about, Ning Yaogot up early to get ready while her roommates still lay in bed, asleep.


    Today was her first day at work, it was an important day in her life.


    She picked out a work-style shirt and straight-legged pants from the closet, put on some light makeup, and went out with a small satchel.


    Soon, she arrived at the company. When she arrived at Clarence¡¯s office, she found that her boss had not arrived yet, so she sat on the sofa and waited quietly.


    After more than 20 minutes, the boss finally arrived. He was a little surprised to see her so early.


    ¡°Next time, you don¡¯t have to come so early. I don¡¯t get up early either.¡± Clarence didn¡¯t seem to care about his image at all but he still said, ¡°You¡¯re making me look lazy.¡±


    Ning Yaosuppressed her laughter and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Report to the HR department first, then Martin will take you around the company to familiarize you with the layout and people. Come meet me at noon.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Ning Yaonodded obediently.


    ¡°By the way,¡± said Clarence, ¡°Your office is just across from mine to make things more convenient.¡±


    Ning Yaofollowed Clarence¡¯s line of sight and saw that her office was in the cubicle opposite the boss¡¯s desk!


    This was too scary. Wouldn¡¯t it be impossible to even slack off for the entire day? It was like being in jail!


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Ning Yaoforced out a smile.


    The man who had arranged everything was keenly aware of Ning Yao¡¯s mood. ¡°You don¡¯t like this set-up?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ning Yao¡¯s smile became even brighter. ¡°It¡¯s my honor to be in the same office as you!¡±


    He Huai chuckled. She didn¡¯t know that he had seen through her forced smile.


    ¡°Alright, you can go first.¡± The man lowered his head and was already in working mode, exuding a serious aura.


    Ning Yaodid not dare to disturb him any longer. After exiting the room, she went to report to the HR Department and found Martin.

 Chapter 4

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Apart from you and me, Mr. He has two other assistants. Lily is on sick leave and Andy hasn¡¯t returned from his business trip, so you might be busy for a while. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask me directly.¡±


    Martin was a young man, about 26 years old. He wore a pair of glasses and looked elegant and knowledgeable. Ning Yaoimmediately had a good impression of him.


    ¡°No problem. My name is Ning Yao. You can just call me Vera.¡± Ning Yaogave him a friendly smile.


    Obviously, Ning Yaodid not know how attractive her smile was to men. Even though Martin had a good sense of self-control, he was still momentarily stunned.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll show you around the company. By the way, your desk is-¡±


    ¡°Mr. He just told me to work in the cubicle opposite his office.¡± Ning Yaointerrupted Martin politely.


    Martin was a little surprised. ¡°Really? Then¡­ we shall just do as Mr. He says. ¡±


    Martin had never heard of Clarence making such a request, but who could guess what the boss was thinking?


    He didn¡¯t think much of it and took Ning Yaoaround the company, introducing her to his colleagues.


    The company was considered quite new and most of the employees were young. This made Ning Yaoa little more comfortable as she greeted everyone in a friendly manner.


    After she was done, she returned to Clarence¡¯s office.


    Although she was mentally prepared, she was still nervous when she thought about having to work facing her boss.


    She knocked on the door and entered the room only to see that Clarence was still working on some documents.


    The man¡¯s skin was very white as he was bathed in the sun. His long eyelashes cast a shadow on his face, making him look as beautiful as a painting.


    She suddenly felt that it was a good thing to be able to watch such a handsome man for free while she was working.


    After she sat down, she took out a small yellow duck from her bag and placed it on the table solemnly.


    This little duck was her lucky charm. She had always brought it with her since she went to university.


    ¡®Little duckling, please bless me with a smooth life in my new company!¡¯


    She was praying with her eyes closed when she suddenly heard the man¡¯s playful and curious voice. ¡°What is this?¡±


    Ning Yaoopened her eyes and saw Clarence leaning back in his chair, looking at her and her duckling with great interest.


    Wasn¡¯t the boss working? Why was he paying attention to her and her duck?!


    ¡°This is my lucky item.¡± Ning Yaoexplained awkwardly.


    She was expecting Clarence to laugh at her naivety after she explained, but to her surprise, he merely nodded his head and commented. ¡°Your religion is quite special.¡±


    After the short conversation, Clarence continued to work. Ning Yaocouldn¡¯t help but think that the boss wasn¡¯t that hard to get along with. Maybe she had misunderstood him¡­


    Since her boss was working so seriously, Ning Yaodid not dare to be lazy. She proceeded to go over the complicated documents in her hands with the serious attitude she usually had when she was preparing for the end of the semester.


    Soon, it was almost noon. Clarence looked at his watch, then slowly stood up and looked at the girl sitting opposite him.


    It was indeed different to have a wife watching him. The morning had passed by so quickly.


    Ning Yao thought that Clarence had been working hard all this time, but in fact, he was the one who was slacking off. His eyes had never left Ning Yao.


    It was as if he wanted to make up for all the things he had not been able to observe about her all these years.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch first. We¡¯ll get busy in the afternoon.¡± The man looked at the girl, who was so busy that she did not even look up from her work. He could not help but bear a grudge against Martin in his heart. ¡®How dare he assign so many tasks to his little darling? He was finished!¡¯


    Martin sneezed hard in his office.


    Ning Yaolooked up when she heard Clarence¡¯s words. ¡°Lunch? Are we going to eat¡­together, Mr. He?¡±


    Would the boss eat with his employees? Was he that easy to approach?


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. But since you¡¯ve said so, let¡¯s go together.¡± The man raised his chin arrogantly as if he had reluctantly agreed to eat with Ning Yao.


    Ning Yaothought to herself, ¡®Are you misunderstanding something¡­?¡¯


    Ning Yaostood up and was about to leave when Clarence waved at her. ¡°Come with me to the private elevator.¡±


    Ning Yaowas a little excited. She was surprised that the President¡¯s assistant had such a benefit. ¡®It¡¯s great that I don¡¯t have to squeeze in the elevator with others!¡¯

 Chapter 5

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The president¡¯s private elevator was different from the ordinary elevator as expected. The floor was covered with a thick carpet and the surroundings were made of transparent glass. When they descended from the top floor, they could see the bustling scenery of the entire business district and the blue sky behind them.


    It made one¡¯s mood turn for the better.


    They didn¡¯t see any other company employees when they walked out of the dedicated elevator and onto the dedicated passage to the parking lot.


    Being a boss surely meant having a lot of privileges.


    ¡°Do you know how to drive?¡± asked Clarence as they arrived at the parking lot.


    Ning Yaonodded nervously. ¡°Yes, but ¡­¡±


    She wanted to say that she wasn¡¯t very familiar with his type of car, but Clarence had already thrown the car keys to her.


    ¡®After all, how could the President drive himself?¡¯ thought Ning Yaoto herself with a sigh as she took the care keys.


    The car was a luxurious brand that was painted pure black. Ning Yaoheld the steering wheel and sighed. Ever since she fell out with her family, she had only been able to afford to squeeze into the subway or bus all day long. It had been a long time since she had sat in such an expensive car.


    In a blink of an eye, Clarence had already sat in the passenger seat.


    The car started and Ning Yaoopened the map on her phone nervously. ¡°Mr. He, where are we going?¡±


    Clarence leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°The International Trade Center.¡±


    During the drive, Clarence leisurely admired Ning Yao¡¯s sweet and beautiful side profile. Back in the office, he had been looking at her from afar, but now, he was able to look at her up close.


    As expected of his wife, she looked good from afar and close.


    Ning Yao, on the other hand, had been so nervous during the drive that she did not notice the passionate gaze Clarence had on her.


    When they arrived at the International Trade Center, Clarence took Ning Yao to the 16th floor. Ning Yaolooked at the luxury brands on the entire floor and asked in confusion, ¡°Mr. He, aren¡¯t we going to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a few sets of clothes first,¡± said Clarence as if this was the most natural thing to do.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need for that, Mr. He¡­¡± Ning Yaowanted to refuse.


    She was still a poor student. One piece of clothing here was almost equivalent to her monthly salary. How could she afford it?


    ¡°You¡¯re my assistant, which also means that you¡¯re the face of the company. The clothes will be bought using the company¡¯s account. Alright, try this on.¡± Clarence picked up a white dress and handed it to her.


    Ning Yaohad no choice but to go to the fitting room to try on the clothes.


    When she took off her clothes, she felt a little wronged. Could it be that she was dressed too plainly, so she looked too poor? ¡®Why don¡¯t I wear clothes that I¡¯ve designed myself next time?¡¯


    After changing, Clarence took a look at the dress and picked another one for Ning Yaoto try on without saying if he was satisfied with it or not.


    Ning Yaotried on a few clothes and started to feel a little tired. Clarence noticed it and did not let her try on any more clothes. Instead, he walked around the store and picked up a few dozen clothes that he found pleasing to the eye. ¡°Wrap them up.¡±


    The shop assistant looked at the clothes rack that had almost been swept clean and was so stunned that she couldn¡¯t say anything. She only had one thought in her heart, ¡°I¡¯m really lucky today to have met such a God of Fortune.¡±


    Ning Yaowas also stunned. Looking at the clothes that could almost fill several wardrobes, she felt like fainting. Did she find a boss or a sugar daddy? This was too ruthless!


    But Clarence didn¡¯t care about what they thought. After taking care of the clothes, he planned to go to the shoe store. But Ning Yaowas so scared of the same thing happening again so she hurriedly stopped him. ¡°Mr. He, let¡¯s eat first¡­¡±


    Her heart would not be able to take it if they continued shopping.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Clarencenodded.


    The two of them arrived at a Chinese restaurant. When they were ordering, Clarencelooked at the menu and ordered all the signature dishes.


    Ning Yaowas starting to wonder how the boss of Glory World Corporation could eat so much.


    After the dishes were served, Clarence only took a few sips of the soup before he pointed at the table of dishes and said to Ning Yao, ¡°Eat.¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s face was filled with shock. Could it be that the boss had ordered all these dishes for her?


    Did she look like she could eat that much?


    ¡°Boss, I¡­ I can¡¯t eat much¡­¡± Ning Yaolooked at the table full of food and said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m just one of your employees. You really don¡¯t have to be so considerate of me¡­¡±


    Did the boss treat all his employees like this in the past? This was too much! She had to go back and ask Martin.


    Clarence didn¡¯t expect her to be so upset. He was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°I just didn¡¯t know what you liked to eat, so I ordered everything for you¡­¡±


    He hadn¡¯t completely learned the way of thinking of humans, and after meeting her, he was so happy that he just wanted to spoil her.

 Chapter 6

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she saw He Huai looking like he wasn¡¯t in a good mood.


    How could she say something like that with her status?


    However, it was too late for regrets. Ning Yaocould only soften her voice and say, ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions. I didn¡¯t make it clear what I wanted to eat. Next time we eat, let me order the food. Then, it won¡¯t be a waste.¡±


    He Huai looked up and saw the young girl looking at him gently, as if¡­ she was comforting him?


    His originally depressed heart melted in an instant.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you,¡± said He Huai as the corners of his lips curled up. His smile was sexy and charming, dumbfounding Ning Yao.


    ¡®Boss, please don¡¯t smile at me like that¡­ Which person is able to stand this?¡¯


    Ning Yaohurriedly picked up the teacup beside her and drank some tea to hide her inner panic.


    Suddenly, Ning Yao¡¯s phone rang.


    She took out her phone and saw a photo of a thick black snake coiled on a tree branch.


    ¡°What is this?¡± He Huai saw the photo and frowned.


    This snake was too ugly.


    ¡°I was once saved by a huge snake. He said that he wanted me to be his wife and give birth to his baby snakes.¡± Ning Yaowas immersed in her memories as a smile appeared on her face.


    Hearing this, He Huai silently puffed out his chest, his eyes filled with pride.


    It seemed that his wife had not forgotten the promise she had made with him all these years.


    Just as he was feeling happy, Ning Yaofrowned in embarrassment.


    ¡°However, the junior high school biology book said that there is reproductive isolation between species, so I can¡¯t have baby snakes. In order to fulfill my promise, I found him a female snake as his new wife.¡±


    After explaining, Ning Yaolooked at the photo and nodded with satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for a female snake for a long time. This one is the prettiest I¡¯ve found. I think it will like it¡­¡±


    The more he listened, the uglier his expression became. Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but say in a deep voice, ¡°How do you know it likes female snakes?¡±


    Ning Yaowas stunned.


    Eh? Could it be that snakes also had special orientations?


    ¡°Then¡­I¡¯ll find a male one?¡±


    He Huai was speechless.


    He looked at the big, ugly black snake in the photo and held his forehead with his hand, unable to express his feelings.


    ¡°Mr. He, are you feeling unwell?¡± asked Ning Yaowith concern.


    He Huai waved his hand to show that he was fine.


    He was not going to tell Ning Yaothat he was the savior she had met when she was young, so he could only pretend that he didn¡¯t know anything. This really made him feel bad.


    ¡°What are you going to do on the weekend?¡± He Huai naturally changed the topic.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll review a few subjects first¡­¡± Ning Yaothought for a while and then said, ¡°And then go to a lecture.¡±


    ¡°What lecture?¡± asked the man casually.


    ¡°A very famous finance professor came to our school to give a lecture. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve heard of him.¡± Ning Yaosaid the name of the senior.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He Huai didn¡¯t even try to hide the disdain in his eyes. ¡°He can only fool you young people.¡±


    Ning Yaofelt that He Huai was sometimes very approachable, but sometimes he was so cold that she didn¡¯t dare to get close to him. For example, the way he was mocking that academic big shot now as if he didn¡¯t care about anyone at all.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± He Huai glanced at Ning Yao, as if he had guessed her thoughts.


    ¡°No, I just haven¡¯t listened to that professor¡¯s lecture, so I don¡¯t have much to say,¡± said Ning Yaoobediently.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there too. I¡¯d like to see what he¡¯s going to say to fool people this time.¡± He Huai¡¯s slender fingers gently tapped on the table as he sneered.


    Ning Yaoimmediately straightened her back. What? The boss wanted to go to the lecture with her?


    ¡°Alright,¡± said she. She nodded politely.¡±I¡¯ll send you the time and place then.¡±


    She would obey her boss¡¯s request unconditionally.


    After lunch, the two of them went downstairs. At the elevator, a seven or eight-year-old boy suddenly rushed out from the opposite side with a cup of iced watermelon in his hand.


    The little boy ran very fast and bumped into Ning Yaowho then felt a cold liquid spill onto her clothes.


    She was wearing high heels, so she could not maintain her balance and was about to fall backward.


    He Huai reached out his hand immediately, trying to pull her back.


    However, the water from the watermelon ice also spilled onto the ground which He Huai slipped on. As he pulled Ning Yao, he accidentally pressed his other hand on her chest.

 Chapter 7

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The cloud-like touch made him almost stop breathing.


    After that, he felt a bouncy force against his hand¡­


    He Huai quickly retracted his hand, but that wonderful feeling still remained in his mind.


    Ning Yao¡¯s face was red with embarrassment. She didn¡¯t even dare to look up at He Huai.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss!¡± The little boy was scared out of his wits and walked up in a panic. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He Huai looked coldly at the culprit, the little boy. His gaze was as terrifying as Asura¡¯s.


    Ning Yaohurriedly grabbed He Huai¡¯s arm and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, boss. He didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Little friend, don¡¯t run so fast in the future. Go find your family. I forgive you.¡±


    Ning Yaosmiled at the little boy. The little boy blushed and said a few more sorrys before he turned and ran away.


    ¡°You¡¯re so forgiving.¡± He Huai looked at Ning Yao¡¯s dress, which was now wet from the watermelon drink. ¡°You¡¯ll be at a disadvantage if you do this, you know?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to argue with a little kid? If he didn¡¯t apologize to me just now, I would definitely have scolded him, but since he knows his mistake, I don¡¯t want to hold it against him.¡± Ning Yaolooked at the dress and helplessly said, ¡°I need to change my clothes first.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t just go to the company like this.


    Ning Yaodidn¡¯t want to waste time and wanted He Huai to go to the office first, but instead, the man said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you. ¡±


    Ning Yaodid not insist otherwise and the two of them found a specialty store.


    At this moment, the staff in the store had gone out for lunch and those in the new shift hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Still, Ning Yaopicked an outfit and went to the changing room while He Huai waited for her outside.


    When Ning Yaowas putting on the clothes, she realized that the size of the clothes did not match her, especially the chest area which felt so tight she could barely breathe.


    She wanted to change into her own clothes and go out to pick a suitable one, but she couldn¡¯t take off the clothes she was wearing!


    Ning Yaowas so anxious that her forehead was covered in sweat. At wit¡¯s end, she could only send He Huai a message to ask for help. ¡°Mr. He, can you find me a loose-fitting shirt?¡±


    He Huai picked out a light green dress, then walked to the changing room and knocked on the door.


    Ning Yaoopened the door a little and her blushing face was revealed. She awkwardly said to He Huai, ¡°Mr. He, c-can you come in and help me?¡±


    He Huai was taken aback. After a moment, he nodded, opened the changing room door, and walked in.


    The changing room was small so the two stood very close to each other. He Huai entered and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The man was tall so when he lowered his head to look at Ning Yao, his dark golden eyes appeared deep and charming. Ning Yaowas so nervous that she almost couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°I can¡¯t pull the zipper down. Can you help me¡­¡± Ning Yaoturned around and lifted her long hair, revealing her back.


    He Huai reached out and gently pulled the zipper. It was a little tight.


    He pulled harder and the zipper was finally pulled down.


    Then, he saw Ning Yao¡¯s fair and delicate back, as well as the strap of her bra on her back.


    He Huai¡¯s breathing suddenly increased rapidly. It was as if a fire was slowly burning stronger in his heart.


    Since the zipper had been pulled down, Ning Yaoheaved a sigh of relief. However, when He Huai hadn¡¯t left yet, she suddenly felt a little nervous.


    ¡°Mr. He, you¡­¡± Just as she was about to hint that He Huai could go out, she heard two girls¡¯ voices from outside.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the handsome guy? Did you see wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! I just saw a very handsome guy who was almost 1.9 meters tall. He was wearing a suit and looked very handsome!¡±


    ¡°But where is he, then?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait a while? Maybe he¡¯ll appear later. I¡¯m tired of walking around. ¡±


    The two girls were chatting outside and it didn¡¯t seem like they would leave for a while.


    The handsome man they were talking about was in the changing room, just a door away from them.


    Ning Yaoand He Huai couldn¡¯t go out now. They looked at each other for two seconds and then looked away immediately.


    Ning Yao¡¯s mouth turned dry, especially when she noticed how much better her boss looked in person.


    He Huai also noticed that the clothes on Ning Yao¡¯s body didn¡¯t seem to match her figure at all.


    Right now, the two were facing each other and the clothes on Ning Yaowere unable to cover her full chest. More than half of it was exposed and it was so white that it was a little dazzling.


    He Huai¡¯s body slowly heated up and his breathing gradually became more rapid.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Suddenly, the man gasped in pain as his body shook slightly.


    Ning Yaohurriedly supported him and said nervously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. He?¡±


    At that moment, the skin under He Huai¡¯s shirt started to heat up and fine and lustrous scales faintly appeared. The scales became clearer as He Huai felt his neck heating up as well.


    ¡®Shit¡­¡¯

 Chapter 8

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Suddenly, He Huai fell onto Ning Yao¡¯s, looking weak.


    Ning Yaowas shocked. She wanted to check on He Huai¡¯s condition, but He Huai hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    He Huai didn¡¯t want Ning Yaoto see the scales that had suddenly appeared on his body. He was afraid that she would be frightened.


    Ning Yaodidn¡¯t dare to move anymore. She felt dizzy as she smelled the refreshing scent of the man¡¯s cologne.


    ¡®Does Mr. He have some kind of illness?¡¯


    Also, did she just hug her boss?


    He Huai held Ning Yaoin his arms and his breathing gradually calmed down. His body temperature also slowly returned to normal while the scales on his neck eventually merged back with his skin and finally disappeared.


    After making sure that all the scales had disappeared, He Huai let go of Ning Yao. He pretended to be tired and weak. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have a relapse sometimes. I must have scared you.¡±


    ¡°Should I send you to the hospital, Mr. He?¡± asked Ning Yao.


    ¡°No need, it¡¯s an old illness. I¡¯ll be fine once it passes.¡± He Huai shook his head.


    The girls outside the door seemed to have left long ago, so He Huai pushed the door open and walked out.


    Ning Yaoquickly changed her clothes and the two of them drove back to the company.


    When the company workers saw the two of them arriving back at the office, they started to talk.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you guys feel that something is amiss? Was Vera wearing a green dress when she came here today?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Do you think¡­?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s mind was instantly filled with all sorts of ideas.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± A girl who was dressed up daintily gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Why would Mr. He fall for Vera? It¡¯s only her first day at work!¡±


    ¡°I heard that Vera is only in her third year of university this year. Since when does Boss He like to use newcomers? I think there¡¯s really something special between them¡­¡±


    The group of people outside was discussing heatedly, but Ning Yao didn¡¯t notice it at all. Right now, her mind was occupied with curious thoughts about Mr. He¡¯s condition earlier.¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s rumored that Mr. He doesn¡¯t get close to women, could it be because of his hidden illness¡­?¡± Ning Yaosuddenly covered her mouth.


    Did she discover some shocking secret?


    God, she wouldn¡¯t be killed, right? Ning Yaolooked at Clarence, who was working hard, in horror.


    Right up till the moment he got off work, He Huai kept feeling that Ning Yaohad been looking at him strangely, which made him feel very strange.


    After what had happened at noon, He Huai realized that Ning Yaowas too tempting for him. He had even risked exposing his true form.


    He Huai had been frowning and thinking of a solution, which only made him look more terrifying to Ning Yao.


    From Ning Yao¡¯s perspective, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her boss was thinking about how to deal with her.


    When it was time to get off work, nothing had happened yet so Ning Yaoheaved a long sigh of relief.


    And soon, the weekend approached. Ning Yaowas about to go to the seminar with He Huai in the afternoon. She had sent He Huai the time and place in advance and He Huai told her to meet him at the school gate.


    Her roommate, Song Ying, got up and was about to go to the library to review her lessons with her books. She asked Ning Yaoif she wanted to go with her.


    Ning Yaoshook her head. ¡°I still have something to do. I won¡¯t be going.¡±


    There was something else Ning Yaowas planning to do today that she didn¡¯t tell He Huai.


    Ning Yaotook out a backpack from her closet and took the subway to the city¡¯s sports stadium.


    There was a banner in front of the stadium and a huge crowd with a lot of media had gathered at the entrance.


    Ning Yaoentered through the athlete¡¯s passageway and went to the changing room to change into her swimsuit.


    This was not her first time participating in a competition like this, so she was not nervous at all.


    In response to the country¡¯s call for more participation in and organization of national sports events, the city had held large-scale track and field as well swimming competitions for several years in a row. In order to encourage citizens to participate, they had even prepared a large amount of cash rewards.


    Ning Yao¡¯s best result before was second place, which was already very good for an amateur athlete. Moreover, the first place went to a retired professional athlete


    Ning Yaodidn¡¯t participate in the competition because she liked sports or wanted to be famous. She just needed the prize money.


    In the years she had left home, she had unknowingly transformed into the female version of Grandet, not missing any opportunity to make money.


    After the opening ceremony, several important leaders made official speeches before the official competition began.


    As soon as Ning Yao appeared, a few shouts came from the audience. ¡°Miss Yao, you can do it!¡±


    Ning Yaolooked over and saw a few children from an orphanage cheering for her under the guidance of their teacher.


    Ning Yaowaved at them with a bright smile and then made a ¡®V¡¯ sign.


    She took a deep breath and was about to focus on the game when she suddenly noticed a familiar figure in the referee¡¯s seat in the distance.

 Chapter 9

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    She took a closer look and realized that the man in the black suit was Clarence!


    God, why would the boss be here?


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart was beating wildly¡­ Yesterday, she had told him that she would be studying in school this morning, only to see Clarence here.


    From the looks of it, Clarence was probably the sponsor of this competition, so he was seated near the judges¡¯ seats.


    Ning Yaowas a little nervous at first, but then she thought about it ¨C she was wearing a pair of goggles and there were so many people in the competition, so there was no way that Clarence would be able to recognize her.


    When the game started, Ning Yaodidn¡¯t have the mood to think about anything else and began to focus on the game.


    Compared to last year, there were more people participating in the competition this year and quite a few of them were pretty skillful people.


    Some of the other athletes were all tall and fit, but Ning Yaowas petite like a doll.


    Due to the difference in size, the athletes around her didn¡¯t take her seriously, obviously thinking that she wouldn¡¯t pose any competition.


    At the referee¡¯s command, the athletes sprinted off into the water.


    The moment she jumped in, Ning Yaowas like a mermaid in the water. Her small body contained strength that was not inferior to that of professional athletes and her speed was even more amazing.


    In the end, she got placed third.


    Ning Yaowas satisfied with her results as she waved to the children who had come to cheer her on.


    There was not much difference between the prize money for the top few places. The only main difference would be for first prize, where the winner would receive more attention and become the National Sports Ambassador of the city.


    However, Ning Yaodidn¡¯t want to be famous, so she didn¡¯t care if she couldn¡¯t get first place.


    It was fine as long as she could get the prize money.


    Just like last year, she was going to keep a portion of the bonus as her start-up capital and donate the other portion to the orphanage.


    She walked off the podium and greeted Teacher Xiao Zhang from the orphanage. She also bought various flavors of ice cream for the children. It was almost noon by the time she took the subway back to school.


    When she returned to school, Bai Jie was still studying hard for her master¡¯s degree in the library while Xu Na was putting on makeup. She must have had a date.


    Song Ying was lying on the bed playing games when she suddenly thought of something. Then, she turned to ask Ning Yao, ¡°Ning Yao, you¡¯ve been going out so early recently. Did you find an internship?¡±


    Ning Yaosmiled in embarrassment. ¡°Yes, Glory World Corporation has hired me.¡±


    A single stone caused a thousand ripples. Song Ying shouted exaggeratedly, ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you tell me such great news? We have to have a big meal to celebrate! So, have you met Clarence? Is he as handsome as the rumors say? Did he really come out of the closet?¡±


    Ning Yaodidn¡¯t expect that there were rumors of Clarence coming out of the closet.


    She thought to herself, ¡®He didn¡¯t come out of the closet, but he does have something to hide¡­¡±


    When she heard that Ning Yao had entered glory World, Xu Na frowned. She felt a sense of injustice in her heart as she said, ¡°She¡¯s just an intern. Maybe she¡¯s just going to serve tea. What¡¯s there to be happy about? I guess Ning Yaois too embarrassed to tell us the details, right?¡±


    But before Ning Yao could speak, Song Ying said angrily, ¡°What do you mean by that? Even if you want to go in to pour some tea for them, they won¡¯t want you!¡± After saying that, she realized that her words were not quite right. She hurriedly explained to Ning Yao, ¡°Yaoyao, I didn¡¯t mean to say that you serve tea.¡±


    Xu Na had already put on her makeup. She took a few hot girl photos in front of the mirror and walked past Ning Yao with her hips swaying seductively. Then, she looked at Ning Yaowith disdain. ¡°So what if you¡¯ve found an internship? You¡¯re just a worker. You can¡¯t even afford a decent branded bag. What¡¯s the use of it?¡±


    With that, Xu Na left with a smile.


    Song Ying was furious. ¡°What¡¯s she showing off for? She didn¡¯t buy her own bag! Ning Yao, you¡¯re just too good-tempered, aren¡¯t you angry at anything she says?¡±


    Ning Yaoopened the wardrobe and began to pick out the clothes for the afternoon. ¡°What¡¯s there to be angry about? Do I need to prove anything to her? She¡¯s not my boss and she¡¯s not the person I like. I don¡¯t care how she sees me.¡±


    Song Ying thought about it carefully and felt that what Ning Yao said made sense. Then, she noticed that Ning Yaohad already changed her clothes.


    She was wearing a simple crop top that accentuated her waist while a pair of matching blue loose-fitting wide-legged pants elongated her well-proportioned legs. She looked pretty and cute.


    Although Xu Na would often mock Ning Yao for not wearing any branded clothes, Song Ying felt that Ning Yao¡¯s clothes complimented her well. She didn¡¯t know how to imitate her even if she wanted to.


    Ning Yao¡¯s sense of fashion was really amazing!

 Chapter 10

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Song Ying asked Ning Yao where the latter bought her clothes, Ning Yao said that she never bought them. But if Song Ying wanted them, Ning Yaowas willing to give them to her.


    When Xu Na heard that, she laughed exaggeratedly and did not hide her disdain. ¡°They¡¯re probably from a cheap brand and she¡¯s just too embarrassed to say it. Song Ying, why do you ask her for clothes? it¡¯ll be embarrassing if you wear it out and get laughed at.¡±


    It was true that Ning Yao¡¯s clothes did not have any tags on them. Hence, Song Ying did not know how to defend Ning Yaowhen Xu Na said that.


    However, Ning Yaodid not care about other people¡¯s opinions. She had always been a unique person.


    Ning Yaoput on her clothes and took out a straw hat from the cabinet. In an instant, it added a child-like idyllic style, a look that would brighten others¡¯ eyes.


    What kind of pairing genius was this?


    Song Ying complimented, ¡°Yaoyao, aren¡¯t you too cute in this outfit? I don¡¯t see you dressing up so well usually. Are you going on a date?¡±


    When Ning Yaoheard this, she was stunned.


    She didn¡¯t even realize that she had spent a long time matching the outfit.


    ¡®Is it because I¡¯m meeting with Clarence today?


    Was it a date?


    Ning Yao¡¯s face turned red.


    Afternoon soon came and Ning Yaoarrived at the school gate early. After a short period of time, she saw a black Maybach arrive.


    The car stopped and Clarence got out. He was dressed simply and casually today in a gradient silk shirt and a pair of low-toned pants. Overall, he looked refreshing and youthful, and would not look out of place on the university campus.


    A faint smile appeared on Clarence¡¯s face when he saw Ning Yao, causing all the girls on the street to look at him.


    ¡°So this is the university you¡¯re studying at? Show me around,¡± said Clarence casually as he walked to Ning Yao.


    Today, Clarence was not as cold as his usual self at the office. Instead, he looked much more friendly. When Ning Yaowalked with him around campus, she felt that the two of them were like an ordinary couple in school.


    Oh God, why did she have such an illusion? Was it because she had been single for too long?


    Everyone around them looked at the pair with amazement.


    Sensing that Ning Yaowas secretly looking at him, Clarence turned to look at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°No, no, nothing.¡± When Ning Yaonoticed that Clarence did not mention anything about her appearance in the competition yesterday, she concluded that he probably didn¡¯t recognize her.


    The two of them walked to the school¡¯s cafe and Ning Yaobought two cups of iced fruit tea for the pair.


    When she handed one of the cups to him, she accidentally touched his finger. She was surprised to find that the temperature of his finger was even lower than the cold drink.


    ¡°Mr. He, why are your fingers so cold? Are you sick?¡± asked Ning Yaowith concern.


    Clarence took a sip of the cold drink and said, ¡°I was born with it.¡±


    Were there people who were born with such low body temperatures? Aren¡¯t humans supposed to be warm-blooded animals?


    ¡°Do you feel cold?¡± asked Ning Yaocuriously.


    ¡°If I said yes,¡± replied Clarence, ¡°Will you help me warm my hands?¡±


    Ning Yaowas stunned. That was not what she meant!


    Why did the boss always think of other things? She was just curious!


    The two of them slowly walked to the school¡¯s auditorium. The lecture was about to begin and the tickets were being checked at the door.


    Ning Yaohad already bought two e-tickets online so they managed to enter without too much trouble. They found a corner to sit down in.


    The lecture began as the famous professor went on stage and opened the PowerPoint.


    Ning Yaosat up straight obediently and listened attentively. From time to time, she would take out her mobile phone to take notes.


    Clarence, on the other hand, was obviously different. He was sitting on the chair with his eyelids drooped as if he was going to fall asleep in the next second.


    Ning Yaowas listening attentively when the old professor suddenly asked a question and was randomly looking for a student to answer.


    She thought that since she was sitting in the back row, he probably wouldn¡¯t ask her. Just as she was thinking about it, she heard the old professor¡¯s voice from the microphone, ¡°That girl in the hat¡­¡±


    Ning Yaowas startled. She forgot that she was wearing a hat on her head.


    ¡°Let the male student beside you answer.¡± The old professor looked angrily at the boy who was sleeping soundly.


    He was invited to give a lecture by the Imperial National University. Usually, his lectures were hard to get, but he didn¡¯t expect someone to be sleeping through his lecture today!

 Chapter 11

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When the old professor shouted again, the students in the auditorium turned to look at Ning Yao and Clarence.


    ¡°Mr. He, let me do it¡­¡± Ning Yao had been listening to the lecture, so she should be able to answer the question and was ready to do so in Clarence¡¯s stead.


    Just as she was about to stand up, Clarence pulled her back into her seat.


    The man¡¯s eyes were still a little drowsy and his entire body felt tired, but he still exuded a cold and oppressive aura.


    The moment Clarence stood up, the girls in the hall let out muffled shrieks.


    ¡°He¡¯s so handsome! Which department is he from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen him before.¡±


    ¡°Professor Jin, this question is too difficult. I heard that Great Wall Group¡¯s merger and acquisition case was a malicious one. There was no news on the internet. There must be some inside story.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and so how would you answer my question, then?¡±


    ¡­


    Ning Yao was trying to find more information about Professor Jin¡¯s question on her phone so that she could give Clarence some hints. She seemed even more nervous than him.


    Professor Jin looked at Clarence sternly and said, ¡°Tell me, why wasn¡¯t Great Wall Group acquired by many internet companies but by an unknown small company instead?¡±


    ¡°To take advantage of the situation? It¡¯s a mutually-beneficial deal. Why do you make it sound like a robbery?¡± Clarence sneered.


    Everyone present was amused while Professor Jin¡¯s face turned red as he coughed a few times. He said unhappily, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the special means used, how could a small company compete with other well-known companies?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡±Clarence sounded lazy yet certain. ¡°Although many companies wanted to take advantage of Great Wall Group¡¯s management turmoil, Great Wall Group was an old family business. They valued the company¡¯s independence very much. At that time, the companies on the market that had the ability to acquire Great Wall Group conflicted with the group¡¯s values. That was why Great Wall Group chose a newly established small company. They thought that if this new company doesn¡¯t have the ability to take over Great Wall Group, the group can still maintain their independence in the future. ¡±


    Clarence¡¯s explanation was clear and logical. Moreover, he had revealed some information that had never been reported in the news.


    Thus, everyone listened very seriously.


    Professor Jin was also stunned. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I guessed.¡± Clarence¡¯s lips curved into a smile.


    Clarence¡¯s nonchalant response made Professor Jin so angry that he fell speechless for a moment. Then, he retorted, ¡°So you¡¯re essentially talking nonsense? There isn¡¯t even any evidence¡­¡±


    ¡°I simply analyzed and deduced things based on the situation at the time. How can you call it nonsense? Moreover, at that time, many companies in the country were using the IP of Great Wall Group as the foundation of their chip business. This put Great Wall Group in full control of negotiations. If it was a forced malicious acquisition, Great Wall Group would not have conceded.¡±


    Everyone in the hall started whispering to each other ¨C they were gradually getting more convinced that Clarence¡¯s explanation was more reliable than Professor Jin¡¯s.


    Professor Jin stood awkwardly on the stage. After a long time, he sighed and helplessly admitted that Clarence might be right.


    Ning Yao wasn¡¯t expecting Professor Jin to accept Clarence¡¯s response so quickly. She began to pull at Clarence¡¯s sleeve happily as she looked at him with bright eyes. ¡°Mr. He, you¡¯re so amazing. Even Professor Jin said you were right.¡±


    Clarence sat down, still looking a little tired. When he turned and saw Ning Yao¡¯s lovely smile, he couldn¡¯t help himself from reaching out and pinching her cheek. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not wrong.¡±


    There was a hint of pride in the man¡¯s eyes.


    Ning Yao had never met such an outstanding and domineering man in her life. The charm he had in her eyes made him look like he was glowing.


    ¡°So, in the future, if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can ask me.¡± Clarence felt a sense of satisfaction he had never felt before when he saw the admiration in Ning Yao¡¯s eyes.


    The feeling of being admired by his future wife was great.


    When the lecture ended, Ning Yao was about to leave with Clarence when a few girls walked up to them with blushing faces and asked, ¡°Hey, your speech just now was wonderful. We are also a little curious about this case. Can we discuss this further?¡±


    To put it bluntly, they just wanted his contact information.

 Chapter 12

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ning Yao had always known that a man like Clarence would always attract attention no matter where he went.


    However, seeing him so popular with the girls now made her feel as if she had lost for a moment.


    She lowered her head to reduce her presence.


    But to her surprise, Clarence grabbed her hand and turned to the girls. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re going to eat now. You can ask Professor Jin if you¡¯d like to know more. ¡±


    And with that, he pulled Ning Yao away, leaving the girls a little stunned.


    ¡°Who was that woman? Could she be his girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°She must be. Sigh, what a pity¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Ning Yao could vaguely hear the girls talking as she was dragged away by Clarence, and when she heard the words that were coming out of their mouths, her face immediately turned red.


    Why was she misunderstood again? ¡®Forget it, I¡¯ll just pretend I didn¡¯t hear it.¡¯


    After leaving the auditorium, the two of them chose a newly opened barbeque restaurant near the school.


    Since it was a new shop, there weren¡¯t many people.


    After roasting the meat, Ning Yao sprinkled some barbeque powder on it before plating it for Clarence.


    However, Clarence did not seem to have much of an appetite. After taking just a few bites, he stopped eating.


    Ning Yao, on the other hand, was enjoying the food, occasionally sticking her tongue out due to the spiciness.


    ¡°Mr. He, what do you like to eat? I can tell that you don¡¯t like vegetables or meat.¡± Ning Yao was curious.


    ¡®You, obviously,¡¯ thought Clarence to himself.


    Many years ago, he had wanted to eat her when he first saw her.


    But now, he was thinking of another way of ¡®eating¡¯ her.


    Ning Yao started to feel that the way the man was looking at her was starting to feel a little strange and intense. She decided to call out to him to make sure he was alright. ¡°Mr. He?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like to eat outside.¡± Clarence came back to his senses and thought of an excuse. ¡°Why don¡¯t you cook for me?¡±


    ¡°How did you know that I can cook?¡± Ning Yao put down her chopsticks and smiled. ¡°But I¡¯m not very good at cooking. I¡¯m far worse than the chefs in the restaurants. Don¡¯t expect too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Cook something for me next time.¡± Clarence¡¯s heart was filled with sweetness at the thought of his future wife cooking for him.


    After the meal, the two of them left the barbeque restaurant. Ning Yao was about to return to school when she suddenly felt that something was wrong with Clarence.


    ¡°Mr. He, Mr. He, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Ning Yao noticed that Clarence was moving as if he was a drunkard. She quickly held his body up.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Even Clarence¡¯s voice sounded weak. ¡°I¡¯m just a little dizzy. Can you send me to the hotel?¡±


    Clarence suddenly became weak because his injury from many years ago had not fully recovered yet. The injury would flare up from time to time which meant that his recovery would take a long time.


    He had been feeling unwell before he left the house today, but when he thought about how today would be the first date he would have with Ning Yao, he decided to suck it up and met her as promised.


    But he was now at his limit.


    By now, Clarence was already half-leaning on Ning Yao¡¯s body, looking very pale. Ning Yao was frightened and quickly found the nearest hotel to check-in.


    She helped the tall Clarence into the hotel room and carefully placed him on the bed. She then wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was exhausted.


    Clarence lay on the bed with his eyes closed and brows furrowed. He seemed to be in a bad mood.


    Ning Yao went to get a glass of warm water, then sat on the bed and asked softly, ¡°Mr. He, do you want some water?¡±


    When He Huai heard Ning Yao¡¯s soft voice in his daze, he subconsciously replied, ¡°Yaoyao¡­¡±


    Yaoyao?


    Ning Yao was shocked.


    Why would Mr. He call her that?


    They weren¡¯t that close yet¡­


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because Mr. He is so sick and weak that he can¡¯t think straight and called me that¡­¡¯ Ning Yao¡¯s wildly beating heart slowly calmed down.


    When Clarence didn¡¯t want to drink any water, she put down the glass, turned up the air conditioner a little, and covered him with a blanket.


    After doing all this, she got up and prepared to leave.


    The moment she turned around, the man on the bed seemed to have realized it immediately as reached out to hold her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­¡± The man murmured in a low voice. The man who was usually calm and cold now started to look a little helpless and pitiful.


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart softened.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?¡± She had no choice but to sit on the bed and ask gently.


    The man didn¡¯t say a word and only held her hand tightly.

 Chapter 13

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It was already midnight, but Clarence still refused to let go of Ning Yao¡¯s hand. Eventually, Ning Yao had no choice but to tell Song Ying that she would not be going back to the dormitory today. She told them to lock the door and not wait for her.


    Not long after she put down her phone, Ning Yao started to feel a little sleepy and eventually fell asleep on the blanket that covered Clarence.


    Although the air conditioning in the room was not very cold, her arms and legs still felt a little cold since she wasn¡¯t covered up. After sleeping for a while, she subconsciously pulled the blanket away and covered herself.


    After a few hours of sleep, Clarence started to feel much better and eventually regained consciousness.


    He opened his eyes, revealing dark golden pupils that could clearly distinguish everything despite the darkness.


    He immediately felt the warmth beside him and looked over to see Ning Yao curled up and sleeping next to him.


    Clarence was surprised for a moment that his future wife was so obedient and proactive to sleep with him.


    How could he refuse?


    As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he reached out his arms and pulled Ning Yao into his arms.


    Ning Yao was curled up in a ball as she slept, looking so soft and cute that she melted Clarence¡¯s heart.


    He felt the girl¡¯s warmth in his arms and felt a sense of satisfaction that filled his soul.


    All these years of waiting and searching were worth it.


    ¡°It¡¯s so cold¡­¡± Ning Meng suddenly murmured.


    The temperature of Clarence¡¯s body was very low. After all, he was a snake. Even if he turned into a human, some of his natural characteristics could not be changed.


    Ning Yao¡¯s words made Clarence a little sad. He wanted to continue holding her but he was too cold for her comfort.


    However, even after two minutes, Clarence still couldn¡¯t bear to let go of his wife who he had finally managed to hold in his arms. Then, an idea suddenly came to him ¨C he decided to turn off the air conditioning.


    The temperature in the room rose quickly, and since the two of them were squeezed under the thick blanket, Ning Yao no longer felt cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot¡­¡± Ning Yao suddenly felt as if she was surrounded by a heater, with only a ¡®cold wall¡¯ to soothe the heat she was feeling. She naturally leaned in closer to the cooling source.


    To his shock, his cute future wife willingly snuggled into his arms, stuck to him, and hugged him tightly.


    Clarence¡¯s mind went blank as his heart started to beat faster.


    His little darling¡¯s body was so soft and fragrant, just like cotton candy.


    Clarence¡¯s breathing was rapid and he barely controlled the burning desire in his heart. He slowly reached out his hands and hugged Ning Yao tightly.


    Even if he were to die at this moment, he would have no regrets.


    Daybreak eventually arrived as the sun slowly crept up through the window and the chirping of birds could be heard outside.


    Ning Yao was used to getting up at seven o¡¯clock so that was when her biological clock woke her up.


    She opened her eyes and was about to get up, but she found that she couldn¡¯t move.


    She moved her head slightly and realized that she was hugging Clarence tightly!


    Her hand was still on Clarence¡¯s chest and their legs were intertwined.


    Oh my God! What happened last night?


    Soon, Clarence also woke up, but he was much calmer than Ning Yao. When he saw how shocked and flustered she was, he calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t deduct your salary.¡±


    Was this a matter of deducting his salary? Ning Yao looked at him in disbelief.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be responsible.¡± The man sat up. His messy hair made him look lazy yet charming. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.¡±


    Take responsibility?


    Why did he make it sound like she was a scumbag who would not admit to anything after sleeping with him?


    In the end, Ning Yao didn¡¯t even know how she left the hotel with Clarence. All she knew was that by the time she returned to her dormitory, she still felt like it was all a dream.


    She had just¡­slept with her boss!


    But now that she thought about it, they were both still fully dressed when they woke up, so nothing too terrifying should have happened last night.


    Ning Yao touched her own lips and reminisced about her first kiss. It should still be there, right?


    She had just opened the door to her room in the dormitory building when Song Ying jumped out. ¡°Yaoyao, where did you go yesterday?¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s ears instantly turned red. She did not know how to explain herself.


    Song Ying¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Yaoyao, don¡¯t tell me you and your boyfriend really¡­¡±


    ¡°What boyfriend?¡± Ning Yao immediately realized there was a misunderstanding.

 Chapter 14

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Song Ying took out her phone and showed her a picture. ¡°This boyfriend. I didn¡¯t expect you to be on a date with your boyfriend yesterday. Someone in the hall took a picture of you and it has been posted on the school forum since then. Everyone is talking about it.¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s face turned pale.


    She took out her phone to check the post and saw a blurry photo that roughly showed Clarence pulling her along by the hand.


    God, why would someone post a photo online?


    ¡°Yaoyao, your boyfriend is so handsome. When did you start dating? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Song Ying pouted, feeling a little wronged.


    Ning Yao did not know how to explain it to her.


    This wasn¡¯t her boyfriend at all. He was her boss!


    After thinking for a while, Ning Yao pulled Song Ying over and whispered a few words into her ear.


    ¡°What!¡± Song Ying shrieked. ¡°Your boyfriend is Clarence?!¡±


    ¡°Lower your voice. He¡¯s not my boyfriend. He¡¯s my boss!¡± Ning Yao quickly covered Song Ying¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°He¡¯s not your boyfriend? But he accompanied you to the lecture and even held your hand.¡± Song Ying shook Ning Yao¡¯s arm excitedly. ¡°Oh my God, Yaoyao, you¡¯re amazing! You¡¯ve only interned for a few days and you¡¯ve already conquered the head of Glory World Corporation!¡±


    ¡®I really didn¡¯t.¡¯


    But Ning Yao didn¡¯t bother saying that out loud. She knew there was nothing she could say now to convince Song Ying otherwise.


    Although there were a lot of rumors about Clarence, his real face had not been exposed to the public yet, and Ning Yao did not want to cause him any trouble.


    If they were mistaken as a couple, then so be it. After all, Clarence wasn¡¯t from their school. At most, she would be the subject of discussion among her classmates.


    Ning Yao lay on the bed, tired. Before she could rest properly, she received a message on her phone.


    ¡°Yang Yuan has returned to the country. Let¡¯s have a meal with his family next week.¡±


    This message was sent by Ning Yao¡¯s brother. Despite the calm tone of the message, there seemed to be a threat hidden within.


    ¡®What does his return have to do with me? I¡¯ve been doing my internship and I¡¯m very busy, so I don¡¯t have time.¡¯


    Ning Yao decided to reject her brother¡¯s request to meet up.


    She didn¡¯t want to see that hypocrite, Yang Yuan!


    Soon, the next week arrived and Ning Yao entered the company on Monday with a heavy heart.


    She had thought that things would be awkward between her and Clarence. After all, the two of them had woken up in the same bed that day. For something like this to happen between a superior and a subordinate, it could be said to be an epic social death.


    However, to her surprise, Clarence was treating her no differently from before, which made her feel as if she had made a mountain out of a molehill.


    Thankful, Ning Yao felt that she would be able to make it through the day feeling much more relaxed.


    ¡®Forget it, I¡¯ll just pretend that it never happened. After all, it was just an accident¡­¡¯


    However, the thought of the two of them hugging each other tightly still made Ning Yao¡¯s heart beat faster from time to time.


    One day, Ning Yao had the same dream of the snake again.


    In the hazy dream, she felt the big black snake slowly wrap around her body, the two of them pressed tightly together.


    She held the black snake¡¯s tail as she rubbed her long legs against the snake¡¯s scales, letting out moans of desire.


    Slowly, the big black snake suddenly changed into a man.


    The man¡¯s face became clearer as his deep eye sockets and high nose bridge became more defined.


    This was exactly what Clarence looked like!


    Ning Yao suddenly woke up from her dream, sweating a little and with rapid breathing. A strong desire was still rippling in her heart.


    Oh my God, she had that dream again, and this time it was even more dramatic. The big black snake actually turned into Clarence!


    The next day at work, Ning Yao did not even dare to look at Clarence.


    ¡°Vera, get ready. I have a negotiation to attend this afternoon. You and Martin will come with me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Ning Yao came back to her senses and immediately went to find Martin to discuss the work arrangements for the afternoon.


    ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to be nervous. If you have anything you don¡¯t understand, just ask me. Also, Mr. He is the king of the negotiation table so there¡¯s a lot you can learn from him. ¡±


    Martin¡¯s eyes were filled with admiration as he spoke.


    ¡°Alright, I will.¡±


    After talking to Martin, Ning Yao turned around and went back to her office. Halfway through, she remembered that she had to make a few copies of some documents, so she turned back around.


    As she walked past the glass door, she suddenly heard a discussion.

 Chapter 15

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Hey, do you guys think that Lily will be angry when she returns and sees how much Clarence dotes on Vera?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Lily has been working for Mr. He for two years. Vera is just an intern. How can she be compared to Lily?¡±


    ¡°But I think President He is treating Vera quite well. After all, she is very beautiful and young.¡±


    ¡°How else do you think she got in? I hate people like her the most. They don¡¯t have anything to show for and only rely on their looks¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t expect that other people in the company would think of her this way.


    She suddenly felt a burst of anger burning in her heart.


    That¡¯s right, she was indeed not qualified, but what right did they have to say that she entered the company by selling her looks?


    She had been in the company for days and had completed all the tasks given to her by her boss. She had never made a mistake.


    ¡°Vera, what are you doing standing here? Why do you look so pale? Do you need any help?¡± One of the company staff saw Ning Yao standing behind the glass door for a long time and couldn¡¯t help but ask her with concern.


    It was only then that the group of gossiping people noticed Ning Yao and suddenly panicked.


    However, they quickly regained their composure. Ning Yao was just an intern. Even if she heard their conversation, what could she do?


    Just as they were about to return to their office, Ning Yao suddenly spoke with a voice that was not too loud but clearly delivered the message she wanted to get across.


    ¡°I heard everything you said just now. I hope I won¡¯t hear any slander or rumors about me from now on. It was Mr. He¡¯s decision to hire me. If you think there¡¯s something wrong with Mr. He¡¯s judgment, you can go talk to him.¡±


    Ning Yao looked at those people and said, ¡°We¡¯re all colleagues. Shouldn¡¯t we respect each other? If I spread rumors about you one day, wouldn¡¯t you be angry too? The next time I hear such rumors about me, I will not hesitate to report them to Martin. I¡¯m here to work, not to be slandered and humiliated by people.¡±


    After that, Ning Yao left without looking back.


    No one expected the new intern to be so direct.


    Not long after, Martin also heard about the incident. As such, he secretly went to find Ning Yao uneasily. ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive. There¡¯s always gossip wherever there are people. Just bear with it for a while. What if you provoke them in the future?¡±


    Martin did not like to cause trouble, so as long as it did not cross his bottom line, he did not like to intensify conflicts.


    But Ning Yao shook her head and said, ¡°Martin, if I tolerated it this time, next time, they¡¯ll only go even further. Besides, they¡¯re not just criticizing me. They¡¯re also tarnishing Mr. He¡¯s image.¡±


    Martin was a little surprised. He did not expect Ning Yao to be so thoughtful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Martin, those people will only gossip behind my back. They won¡¯t dare to cause me any trouble.¡±


    Martin nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. You just need to do your job well.¡±


    As the two of them were chatting, they didn¡¯t notice that Clarence had appeared behind them, not until the man¡¯s deep voice rang out. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±


    When he realized that it was taking Ning Yao to return to her desk, Clarence decided to step out of his office to go look for his future wife. He did not expect to find her and Martin whispering to each other.


    He immediately felt upset. Even if Martin was his trusted subordinate, he did not want Ning Yao to be too close to other men.


    ¡°Nothing¡­,¡± said Ning Yao in a hurry. ¡°We were just talking about the negotiation later.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, just ask me. There¡¯s no need to trouble others.¡± Clarence looked at the two of them suspiciously, and finally said to Ning Yao, ¡°Come.¡±


    Ning Yao had no choice but to follow him into his office.


    Then, Clarence explained the company¡¯s background for today¡¯s negotiation in detail to Ning Yao. He also inferred the other party¡¯s bottom line and expectations as well as emphasized a few terms and conditions of the contract.


    Ning Yao was not expecting Clarence to brief her about these details.


    She was just his secretary, so there was no need for Clarence to tell her so much.


    However, the things Clarence was telling her were very useful information. Clarence wasn¡¯t like the teachers at school who only talked about case studies from books. He was talking about the real negotiation that they were about to face, and this kind of actual situation was something she urgently needed to learn.


    One day, when she had started her company, these past experiences would save her a lot of trouble.

 Chapter 16

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ning Yao listened attentively, even occasionally taking initiative to ask questions when she didn¡¯t understand some of the things he said.


    ¡°Is there anything else you don¡¯t understand?¡± asked Clarence by the time he was done.


    Ning Yao was a little embarrassed. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more questions.¡± After a pause, she turned to look at Clarence curiously. ¡°But¡­ Mr. He, why are you telling me all this?¡±


    After all, some of the things he had just told her were trade secrets.


    Clarence smiled and closed the contract folder. ¡°I was in a good mood, so I just felt like talking more than usual. If you think I¡¯m being too talkative, then I won¡¯t say any more.¡±


    Ning Yao hurriedly shook her head. ¡°Why would I? I gained a lot from listening to you.¡±


    She was simply too willing to listen.


    Clarence nodded. ¡°Then remember to make me happy in the future, then I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±


    Ning Yao blinked her big bright eyes and looked at Clarence in confusion. ¡®He wants me to make him happy?¡¯ She could not read his mind, so how would she know what to do to make him happy?


    ¡°Alright, get ready. We¡¯re leaving soon.¡± Clarence looked at his watch.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Ning Yao nodded. ¡°Mr. He, I wish us a smooth negotiation!¡±


    Clarence¡¯s eyes became more profound as he watched Ning Yao go back to her desk to sort out the documents.


    He had long since understood Ning Yao¡¯s background.


    He knew that she had cut off all ties with her family in order to escape an arranged marriage. That was how she ended up living alone while studying and working multiple part-time jobs. She did not look like a young rich lady at all.


    When he had initially learned of this, his heart ached to death.


    After observing her for a while, he deduced that she must be working hard and saving up to start her own business in the future.


    Although he had already built his own business empire and money was nothing to him, he was willing to support Ning Yao unconditionally.


    But he couldn¡¯t do anything now, at least not rashly and too openly. He had to find a way to help her from the shadows.


    He had also started from scratch, so he knew how difficult it would be for her. Others only saw his success now, but no one knew how many difficulties and desperate situations he had gone through alone.


    He had once failed in his investment and lost all his money. In the end, he couldn¡¯t even afford to pay rent and his people eventually left him. He was left completely alone.


    Back then, he had even thought about leaving the human world and returning to the mountains to continue his peaceful life.


    However, he decided against it and continued to persist.


    He knew that even if he returned to the mountains, he would not be able to forget her. He would still want to find her.


    He chose to continue fighting and become the most powerful person in the world. Then, he would find and protect her.


    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Ning Yao said, ¡°Mr. He, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Clarence returned to his senses and looked at the cute girl in front of him. He smiled.


    He did not break the oath he had made. That was probably why God had sent her to him.


    Soon, the group from Glory World Corporation arrived at the city¡¯s landmark building, the 562-meter-tall Pearl Tower!


    They took the elevator to the private room where everyone from the other party was already there. Both parties sat across from each other at the long table.


    The negotiation began. Both parties first determined some non-controversial terms in the contract. However, when it came to the transfer price of the machines, the other party wanted to raise it.


    Glory World obviously did not agree and the two sides immediately started arguing.


    Ning Yao watched as the people from both sides of the table started to turn red. She was afraid that they would start breaking things in the next second.


    However, Clarence had specifically told her that the negotiations might fall apart beforehand and that she should not be afraid.


    When Ning Yao remembered this, she felt a little warm on the inside. She was surprised Clarence had been able to think things so thoroughly and far ahead.


    She recollected her thoughts and watched the two sides negotiate seriously. Gradually, she noticed a few small details.


    The other party was selling the entire product line, so that batch of machines was equivalent to a hot potato to them. The machines would not be of use to them at all.


    However, they were not willing to sell it to Glory World at a discount, so they wanted to put up a fight.


    To Glory World, these machines weren¡¯t that important either. They had the means to purchase more advanced equipment with just a little more money.


    So, Clarence wasn¡¯t in a hurry at all. No matter how much the other party threatened and argued, he would stand his ground and make the other party break down before he did.

 Chapter 17

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The best result for a negotiation was to reach a conclusion before things fell through. This way, the benefits would be maximized and the stability of the outcome would be the strongest.


    ¡°Mr. He,¡± said the other party¡¯s representative, barely able to remain calm as he looked at my boss. ¡°This batch of machines is imported and at least 90% of them are new. This year, the country has increased the tariffs. If you want to buy new machines, you¡¯ll have to spend at least double the price. Why are you insisting on bargaining?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not short on money,¡± said Clarence, who was sitting lazily in his chair. He smiled nonchalantly and looked at the man.


    ¡®I¡¯m not short of money. I¡¯m just that domineering,¡¯ was what Ning Yao felt only Clarence could say.


    The other party¡¯s representative¡¯s expression was very unsightly. But he managed to force a smile and said, ¡°Even if your money came from the wind, you still have to bend down to pick it up, right? The clothing industry requires a lot of money in the early stages, and we¡¯re not sure if it¡¯ll be successful. You might as well save this money for more useful places.¡±


    Clarence didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with him, so he went straight to the point, ¡°Many companies want your production line. I know this very well. However, if you look for a similar company, they have their own machines and won¡¯t want you. Among the companies willing to buy machines, our company offers the best conditions and is willing to bring your employees over so that you won¡¯t have a hard time with the government¡¯s Labor Bureau. ¡±


    Clarence¡¯s words made the other person grit his teeth and think for a long time. In the end, he helplessly lowered his head. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it then¡­ Mr. He, you¡¯re really amazing. You didn¡¯t even lose out at all.¡±


    Clarence stood up elegantly and smiled politely. ¡°After all, my money doesn¡¯t just come from the wind.¡±


    Hearing this, Ning Yao couldn¡¯t help laughing discreetly.


    The other party had suffered a loss, and Clarence still had the heart to joke with them.


    After the negotiation, Clarence asked Martin to bring the other employees out for dinner to celebrate. They did not have to return to the company that day.


    Then he waved at Ning Yao, who had walked up to him. He smiled gently and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go up and have a look. I heard the scenery is pretty good.¡±


    In Pearl Tower, the higher the floor, the higher the price one has to pay to gain access. The 80th floor and above were not places ordinary people could go up to.


    Ning Yao had never seen the scenery at the top floor of Pearl Tower before, so she was excited when she heard Clarence¡¯s words.


    The two of them went up a few floors and arrived at the entrance of the viewing deck.


    ¡°Are you afraid of heights?¡± Clarence looked at Ning Yao.


    ¡°A little¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we won¡¯t go then,¡± said Clarence as he turned around to leave.


    ¡°No, I want to try!¡± Ning Yao immediately pled.


    This was Pearl Tower. She could see the entire city from here! This was not an experience she wanted to miss.


    Clarence looked down at her hand that was holding his and his heart was filled with sweetness.


    In the end, the two of them bought tickets and entered the viewing deck with a staff guide.


    The viewing deck rotated slowly and the whole city could be seen clearly under their feet. It was almost night and the lights of the city were getting more colorful.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Ning Yao exclaimed.


    Her two little hands were sprawled on the deck¡¯s glass wall as she marveled at the scenery like a child.


    Instead of enjoying the scenery, Clarence looked at her quietly with a gentle and deep gaze, as if he could never get enough of her.


    All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew over, and the cabin of the viewing deck shook slightly. Ning Meng screamed and took two steps back in fear. Then, she held on to Clarence¡¯s arm.


    ¡°We won¡¯t fall down, will we?¡± asked Ning Yao nervously.


    Clarence¡¯s heart started to beat faster when he felt her body temperature.


    ¡°No¡­¡± As soon as Clarence said that, another gust of wind blew over and the cabin shook even more violently. Ning Yao was so scared that she held him tightly with both hands.


    Clarence opened his arms and held Ning Yao in his arms. He gently stroked her soft hair and comforted her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    The man¡¯s arms were cold, but his heart was beating strongly. Ning Yao was not so afraid anymore.


    When she heard Clarence¡¯s gentle voice, she suddenly had a wonderful feeling. It was a sweet kind of satisfaction that brought her a sudden happiness she had never felt before.


    Before Ning Yao could figure out what that feeling was, the viewing deck slowly came to a stop.


    The two of them got off the viewing deck.


    But Clarence was still holding her hand tightly.


    It was not until the two of them had reached the hall that he reluctantly let go of her hand.


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart was still beating wildly and she did not even dare to look into Clarence¡¯s eyes.


    She was embarrassed just now to have thrown herself on top of Clarence. Oh gosh, it was so embarrassing!


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Clarence decided to be the first to speak up and ease the strange atmosphere between the two.


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go for dinner.¡±


    A few minutes later, Clarence had brought Ning Yao to the revolving restaurant on the 107th floor.

 Chapter 18

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After the two of them sat down and ordered their food, Ning Meng suddenly saw a familiar figure.


    On the south side of the restaurant, a man in a suit was talking to a few well-dressed socialites. The man¡¯s face was full of arrogance, and that disgusting and hypocritical smile was familiar to Ning Yao.


    Ning Yao did not expect to see Yang Yuan here. She suddenly lost her appetite and her expression turned ugly.


    Clarence quickly noticed her unusual behavior and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Ning Yao frowned. ¡°I just saw someone I don¡¯t like. I don¡¯t want to eat here anymore.¡±


    A few minutes later.


    ¡°Mr. Yang? What are you looking at?¡± The woman with heavy makeup smiled coyly and poked at Yang Yuan¡¯s chest.


    Yang Yuan looked away and thought, ¡®I must have been mistaken, how could Ning Yao come here to eat?¡¯


    However, when he thought of Ning Yao, he suddenly felt uncomfortable.


    After he returned to the country, no matter where he went, there was no lack of women who would come to please him. He was rich and handsome, so which woman wouldn¡¯t want to marry him? But Ning Yao wanted to break off their engagement!


    Apart from taking over the company, Yang Yuan had another important matter to attend to when he decided to return.


    He was prepared to spend some effort to win over Ning Yao, to make her fall in love with him, and then he would dump her.


    He wanted her to know that she had no right to reject him. He was the one who didn¡¯t want her!


    He had just seen that a woman¡¯s back that looked very much like Ning Yao¡¯s, and the image of Ning Yao¡¯s angelic face and enchanting figure suddenly appeared in his mind.


    To be honest, none of the women present could compare to Ning Yao.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to sleep with her.


    As soon as they walked out of the restaurant, Ning Yao felt much better. She turned to Clarence and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. He, for not being able to have dinner with you here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m just here to accompany you, but¡­ Since I haven¡¯t had dinner yet, why don¡¯t you cook me one?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ning Yao was stunned. ¡°But my cooking skills are just average.¡±


    She had only learned how to cook after leaving home. At first, she didn¡¯t know anything, so she had to learn little by little from a video blogger. In the end, she could barely make a few simple dishes, and she had never cooked for anyone before.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as it is edible. Let¡¯s go to my house,¡± said Clarence, not giving her a chance to refuse.


    A moment later, the two arrived at Rose Garden in the city center.


    Rose Garden was a housing area filled with luxury houses priced at hundreds of millions. Many big-name celebrities and rich people in the country bought houses here.


    Clarence¡¯s residence covered an area of about four thousand square meters and the property certificate covered about 1780 square meters. It included a large garden and a swimming pool.


    Although Ning Yao¡¯s family was rich, they were not rich enough to buy a villa like this. After entering the house, Ning Yao thought to herself that this must be what it meant to truly be rich.


    Clarence led her into the living room and briefly explained the layout of the house to her. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned around and walked to the cabinet. He took out a key and handed it to Ning Yao.


    ¡°This is the key to my house.¡±


    Ning Yao was a little shocked. Why did he give her the key?


    Clarence explained, ¡°Giving you this will make it more convenient for you to work, especially when I need you to help me deliver anything. I don¡¯t usually like having outsiders in my home when I¡¯m around so my servants live behind my villa. This means that if you ever had to come over to my place, no one might open the door for you.¡±


    After the explanation, Ning Yao slowly reached out and accepted the key.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cook first. I¡¯ll show you Black after we¡¯re done. I don¡¯t usually use the kitchen, but it¡¯s fully equipped.¡± Clarence led Ning Yao to the kitchen.


    There were two double-door refrigerators in the kitchen filled with many fresh vegetables and fruits in them, as well as some semi-finished ingredients.


    Ning Yao found an apron and put it on. As she was about to put her hands behind her waist to tie the apron, Clarence took the strings and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll do it. ¡±


    Ning Yao did not dare to move.


    As the man helped her put on her apron, they looked like any ordinary couple as the kitchen seemed to be filled with a warm atmosphere.


    Clarence looked down at Ning Yao¡¯s slender and fair neck. He really wanted to kiss her, but he resisted the urge.


    He didn¡¯t want to scare her, so he decided to take it slow.


    After putting on the apron, Ning Yao started to prepare the ingredients while Clarence went to take a shower.


    By the time he was done with his shower, Ning Yao was done cooking and had set the table.


    Clarence wanted to tear up at the sight of Ning Yao¡¯s dishes.

 Chapter 19

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    How many nights had he returned to his empty home with no one waiting to greet him or ask how tiring his day was? He had missed her so much all this time.


    Now that she was here and had cooked a meal for him, he felt like he had a family.


    Ning Yao saw that Clarence was in a daze and nervously said, ¡°Mr. He, if it tastes bad, just tell me. I¡¯ll order takeaway for you.¡±


    Clarence sat down and picked up a piece of braised pork ribs with his chopsticks.


    After finishing a piece, Clarence seemed to be very satisfied. He said, ¡°You¡¯re too humble. It¡¯s quite delicious. You should sit down and eat too.¡±


    Ning Yao watched as Clarence put one mouthful of food after another into his mouth, tasting every single dish she had made. Soon, his big bowl of rice was almost finished.


    Was the food she made really better than the food in a restaurant? It was obvious that Clarence would have eaten at five-star restaurants before. Ning Yao was a little confused.


    She took a bite of the vegetables she had cooked. They tasted ordinary and a little salty.


    The boss¡¯s appetite was really strange.


    After the two of them finished their meal, Ning Yao put the dishes into the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen.


    When she turned around and wiped her hands with a dry towel, she saw Clarence leaning against the door and looking at her.


    Those deep and passionate eyes returned to their calm state the moment she turned and faced him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see Black. ¡±


    Clarency led Ning Yao to the fourth floor. There was only one large room and an open-air balcony there that was decorated with many precious flowers. It was the season they were in full bloom so the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance.


    The temperature inside the room was slightly lower than outside, and there was a huge transparent glass before them with a simulated forest ecosystem behind it.


    ¡°Black.¡± Clarence called out as he opened the glass door with the remote control.


    A black snake peeked its head out from the leaves and looked at Ning Yao who was next to Clarence.


    Ning Yao was a little nervous but Clarence calmed her down. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. If it dares to hurt you, I¡¯ll stew it.¡±


    Ning Yao was speechless.


    And to Clarence¡¯s surprise, Black, who had never liked strangers, seemed to be very friendly toward Ning Yao. He slithered his way out of the leaves and approached the duo.


    Ning Yao had never been afraid of snakes since she was a child. Moreover, the little snake in front of her was so beautiful and gentle. She reached out, wanting to touch Black.


    Black obediently stretched out his body and slowly wrapped itself around Ning Yao¡¯s arm. Then, he stood up and looked into Ning Yao¡¯s eyes.


    The woman and the snake looked at each other, appearing strangely funny.


    Although Clarence was not worried that Black would hurt Ning Yao, he did not expect Black to like Ning Yao so much and so quickly.


    But it shouldn¡¯t be a surprise that both he and his snake like Ning Yao so much.


    Ning Yao reached out her other hand to stroke Black¡¯s scales. She suddenly recalled the cold feeling she had when she touched the big black snake in her dream.


    She didn¡¯t know where the big black snake was now. What if he couldn¡¯t find food in the dense forest? He didn¡¯t have any companions. Would he be lonely?


    ¡°Ning Yao?¡± Clarence called out when he saw her in a daze. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Ning Yao came back to her senses and continued to stroke Black¡¯s back as she said sadly, ¡°I was thinking about the big black snake that had saved me. I wonder how it is now.¡±


    Never did Clarence expect Ning Yao to be thinking about him. He felt touched and sad at the same time.


    He really wanted to tell Ning Yao that he was the big black snake and that he had found her, but he could not do that.


    Clarence suppressed the sadness in her heart and nervously asked, ¡°You miss it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ning Yao sighed. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to find it. Maybe I¡¯ll never have the chance to see it again in my life.¡±


    ¡°What would you do if you found him? Will you send him to the zoo?¡± Clarence¡¯s voice was trembling.


    He knew that if he was found by a normal person, the best way one would think of to deal with him would be to send him to the zoo.


    After all, who would want to live with a big black snake?


    His heart started to hurt bit by bit.


    Ning Yao¡¯s eyes widened when she heard his words. ¡°I¡¯m not sending it to the zoo!¡±


    Ning yao had read a lot of news reports and knew that many animals in the zoo did not live well.


    In order to embezzle the money allocated to them, some zoos would give the animals cheap and stale food.


    In order to make money, some zoos would force animals to perform too, training them with rough methods and not taking the welfare of the animals seriously at all. How could she send the big black snake, who had saved her, to such a place?

 Chapter 20 - Stay Over Tonight

    Chapter 20 Stay Over Tonight


    Clarence did not expect such a reply from Ning Yao. He was surprised and confused at the same time, but he kept his composure and continued to ask, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you send it to the zoo? You won¡¯t be able to live with it alone.¡±


    Ning Yao sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t have the ability to feed it now, but I¡¯ll work hard. When I earn enough money, I¡¯ll build a big house for it and hire a professional to take care of it and feed it every day.¡±


    Ning Yao looked at the living environment of Black in the room and said seriously, ¡°You¡¯ve taken good care of Black, so I want to be as powerful as you.¡±


    In this way, she could protect her family, and when she found the big black snake, she could give it a stable life.


    Clarence did not expect to hear such an answer from Ning Yao. His heart felt warm, as if it had been bathed in the sun.


    So¡­ She didn¡¯t despise him. She even said that she would work hard to earn money to take care of him.


    Why was she so silly yet so cute?


    The two of them chatted for a while. Seeing that it was getting dark outside, Ning Yao prepared to go back to her dormitory.


    ¡°Mr. He, I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    Clarence was a little reluctant to 1 let Ning Yao leave, but he knew that Ning Yao was only his subordinate now and he couldn¡¯t force her to stay.


    The little black snake, which had been quietly hanging on Ning Yao¡¯s hand, raised its head and looked at the disappointed expression on Clarence¡¯s face. Its slippery body suddenly wrapped tighter around her arm.


    If she wanted to leave, she had to put Black down. However, never would she expect Black to hold her hand tightly.


    ¡°Mr. He, why does Black keep pestering me?¡± Ning Yao felt a little helpless. She wanted to pull the little black snake away, but she was afraid of angering it. After all, animals had their own wild nature.


    ¡°Black, don¡¯t mess around. Get down here!¡± Clarence tried to command his snake without speaking too loudly. But he was surprised by Black¡¯s reaction.


    Black did not listen to Clarence. Instead, he stuck to Ning Yao¡¯s arm even more tightly.


    Clarence was about to get angry when he suddenly understood something. A flash of joy appeared in his dark golden eyes, but he pretended to be in a difficult position. ¡°What should I do? It doesn¡¯t listen to me either.¡±


    Ning Yao was a little anxious. She pleaded with Black in a gentle voice, ¡°Black, can you come down? I¡¯ll come and see you again next time.¡±


    However, no matter how much Ning Yao pleaded, Black did not move.


    Clarence had no choice but to say, ¡°Why don¡¯t you¡­stay over at my place today?


    Ning Yao¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at him, but she quickly realized that this was her only choice. She couldn¡¯t possibly go out with a snake on her arm, could she? If that happened, she would probably be arrested by the police as soon as she left.


    ¡°Then¡­then, I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Mr. He.¡± Ning Yao sighed helplessly. Last time, she had spent a night in a hotel with Clarence. She did not expect to stay at his house today.


    Since Ning Yao had agreed to stay, Clarence had to do his best to hide his joy as he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring you to the guest room. You can sleep with Black tonight. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s very obedient and won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Ning Yao nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s hanging on my body. Will itget wet if I take a bath?¡±


    Ning Yao felt that Clarence¡¯s pet must be very pampered, so she voiced her concern in advance.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± replied Clarence with a chuckle.


    When they arrived at Ning Yao¡¯s room, Clarence pointed at the room across the hall from her. ¡°This is my room. You can call me if you need anything.¡±


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t expect that their rooms would be facing each other. She was a little nervous for a moment, but then she thought that it was more convenient, so she nodded.


    Clarence looked at her again, then turned around and took out a man¡¯s shirt and a pair of beach pants from his room. ¡°These are my clothes. I¡¯ve never had a woman in my house before, so please make do with them for now.¡±


    Ning Yao took the clothes and could smell the faint fragrance on them. She blushed a little. Were these clothes that Clarence had worn before?


    A few minutes later, Ning Yao had turned on the shower in the bathroom. The warm water poured down and stimulated Black, who was on her arm as it started to move.


    Black went from Ning Yao¡¯s arm to her waist, and then up to her chest. The black snake formed a sharp contrast against Ning Yao¡¯s snow-white skin, making her look beautiful.


    Ning Yao had no choice but to take a quick shower.


    Clarence, who had been waiting outside, couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Ning Yao when he saw her walk out with wet hair.


    The girl was not wearing any underwear under her shirt so her curves could vaguely be seen.


    Her legs were long and slender, looking beautiful and sexy.


    He did not dare to look at her again. He simply got up and walked forward. Just as he was about to say something, he saw that Black had disappeared.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Black?¡±

 Chapter 21 - An Unexpected Situation

    Chapter 21 An Unexpected Situation


    As soon as he finished speaking, a small black head poked out of Ning Yao¡¯s shirt collar, then went around her shoulder before intimately rubbing her cheek.


    Clarence was instantly enraged.


    Ning Yao was one of his people but Black had the audacity to take advantage of her! ¡°Get off her!¡± Clarence stomped toward Ning Yao. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you up if I have to teach you a lesson.¡±


    Ning Meng did not expect Clarence to threaten Black. She quickly consoled him and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. He. Black was just playing with me.¡±


    However, all he could think of was the image of Black slithering around Ning Yao¡¯s chest earlier and how much he wanted to beat Black up. He grabbed Black¡¯s body and tried to pull him off Ning Yao.


    Neither Clarence nor Ning Yao expected Black to bite him in the face. Ning Yaowas shocked and quickly pulled Black away.


    Black¡¯s body slowly tightened as he wrapped around both Ning Yao¡¯s and Clarence¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Mr. He, are you alright?¡± Ning Yao did not know if Black was venomous and had become so anxious that her face turned red.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Clarence assured her and looked down at Black who had already wrapped their arms tightly around each other.


    When Ning Yao saw that Black dared to bite Clarence, she did not dare to move. ¡°Mr. He, don¡¯t do anything yet. Let Black relax for a while.¡±


    She was even more afraid that Black would bite her in a fit of anger.


    Clarence could not communicate in snake with Black in Ning Yao¡¯s presence. So he simply nodded.


    After all, Black was a venomous snake. It would be troublesome if he accidentally hurt Ning Yao.


    As for him, he was a snake, so Black¡¯s little dose of venom was nothing to him.


    Ning Yao and Clarence walked to the sofa and sat together. Since Black had wrapped his body so tightly around them, the two had to sit close to each other. Ning Yao could even feel the warmth of Clarence¡¯s body and his faint body fragrance.


    Gosh, how did things turn out like this? Black was not that obedient after all.


    Ning Yao lowered her head. She was a little angry due to how helpless she felt at first, but when she saw Black¡¯s beautiful little head, she couldn¡¯t bear to be angry for long.


    According to a snake¡¯s age, Black was only a child. Why should she be calculative with a child?


    Ning Yao had wanted to wait for Black to relax before trying to pull him off. However, she didn¡¯t manage to hold on for long before she felt sleepy and fell asleep.


    As she did so, her body slowly leaned on Clarence¡¯s shoulder. Clarence adjusted his body to let her fall into his arms.


    en


    ¡°Stop pretending. Let go.¡±


    Since Ning Yao had fallen asleep, Clarencespoke to Black in the special language of snakes.


    Only then did Black slowly let go of them. He then wriggled his body proudly as if he was saying, ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m amazing, right?¡±


    If it had not been for Black, Ning Yao would not have stayed with them.


    ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll forgive you this time. But if you bite me again, don¡¯t blame me for being


    rude.¡±


    Black swayed his tail and turned his head away in dissatisfaction. However, he was still a little afraid of Clarence. Thus, he lowered his head and stuck out his tongue to show that he was sorry.


    Black was quite a fierce species of snake, so when he had been forced into a corner by Clarence, he bit him.


    But Black knew that Clarence was immune to snake venom, which was why he dared to attack him.


    las NOV


    Clarence didn¡¯t pay any more attention to Black. His focus was now entirely on Ning Yao who was sleeping soundly in his arms. He gently carried Ning Yao to her room.


    Black followed suit.


    Once they were in the room, Clarence put Ning Yao down and turned up the temperature of the air conditioner. He then lay down beside Ning Yao and held her in his arms.


    That night, Clarence slept very well. Since the air conditioning in the room was quite warm, Ning Yao kept rubbing herself against him in throughout the night. Clarence held Ning Yao in his arms, satisfied. For the first time, he felt that he had not raised Black for nothing


    When the sky brightened, Clarence gently touched Black who was lying beside him. Black then moved between Clarence and Ning Yao and wrapped their hands together with his body again.


    ence


    Clarence saw that Ning Yao had not woken up yet, he decided to hug her and sleep for a while longer.


    The two of them had been tormented by Black until midnight yesterday. She must be exhausted.


    Two hours later, Clarence¡¯s phone suddenly rang.


    He picked it up and heard Vice President Zhou¡¯s voice come from the other end of the line. ¡°Mr. He, everyone¡¯s here. When are you coming?¡±


    Clarence suddenly remembered that today was supposed to be the day of the meeting between the company and the government department for a collaboration project. He had completely forgotten about it.


    However, it wasn¡¯t a big deal, so Clarence said lazily, ¡°I can¡¯t come today, you guys go ahead.¡±


    Since the boss said that he wouldn¡¯t be coming, Vice President Zhou had to adjust the plan at the last minute. He asked a few more questions, but then realized that Clarence was getting a little impatient, he didn¡¯t dare to ask anymore.


    Just as he was about to hang up, he heard a soft female voice in the background of Mr. He¡¯s location.

 Chapter 22 - Mr. Hes Woman?

    Chapter 22 Mr. He¡¯s Woman?


    ¡°It¡¯s so noisy¡­ Mm¡­¡± The woman¡¯s voice was lazily charming. She sounded as if she hadn¡¯t quite woken up yet.


    The meeting room was very quiet so even though Vice President Zhou¡¯s phone wasn¡¯t in speaker mode, the voice from the other end of the line could still be heard.


    Everyone was shocked and in disbelief.


    Did Mr. He miss today¡¯s meeting because of this woman¡­?


    Nas neve


    Didn¡¯t people say that Mr. He was never close to any woman? Everyone exchanged glances, trying to guess who the woman was.


    But before anyone could react, Clarence had already hung up the phone.


    Ning Yao had slept deeply last night, thus when she was woken up by Clarence¡¯s phone and saw how she was in his arms with their hands still intertwined with each other, she immediately sobered up as her eyes widened in shock.


    Heavens, what was going on? Weren¡¯t she and Mr. He sitting on the sofa yesterday?


    She took a good look at him as the first rays of the morning sun fell on the man¡¯s handsome face. It was a sight more cinematic than a movie. He winked at Ning Yao and said, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Good morning? Ning Yao could not understand how Clarence was so calm.


    Ning Yao moved away awkwardly, not daring to look Clarence in the eye.


    Black also woke up eventually. He looked at Clarence and NingYao as he wagged his tail leisurely. Then, he slowly let go of their hands.


    Clarence said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give it a good beating. You don¡¯t have to feel any psychological burden. I was afraid that you would catch a cold in the living room yesterday, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mr. He.¡± Ning Yao hurriedly stood up and did not dare to continue listening. She quickly changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to school first. I believe I still have class today.¡±


    Clarence felt a little sad when he saw Ning Yao ready to run away in a panic, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t be too anxious.


    Based on what he knew about Ning Yao so far, she had never been in a relationship before, so it was normal for her to feel a little uncomfortable with such intimate contact with him.


    ¡°Okay, go ahead. I¡¯ll arrange for a chauffeur to send you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My school is the last station on the subway line. It¡¯s very convenient for me to take the subway. Thank you for your kindness,¡± said Ning Yao, shaking her head.


    Ning Yao was determined to keep her distance from Clarence in the future. She would never allow such a ridiculous thing to happen again.


    After she rejected Clarence¡¯s suggestion, she got up and found her clothes that had been dried. She changed into them and left Clarence¡¯s house.


    It was only when she returned to the school dormitory that she felt that she had returned to reality.


    Since she woke up late today ¨C it was already past 10 o¡¯clock ¨C she would definitely not be able to make it in time for the morning class. So she could only pray that the professor was not taking attendance today.


    Ning Yao turned on her computer to check her emails. She saw an email from her mentor, saying that she had accepted a few haute couture designs from several brands. However, she had been very busy recently, so she wanted to give Ning Yao a few orders to train her.


    Ning Yao was pleasantly surprised. Although she was a little worried about her ability to complete the task, she still didn¡¯t want to miss this good opportunity.


    Ever since she went to college, she had been learning about fashion design from her mentor in private. Her mentor had said that she was talented and hardworking, and it was only a matter of time before Ning Yao would become a top designer in the industry. This was also the reason why her mentor was willing to accept her as an apprentice.


    Ning Yao replied to her mentor, saying that she would cherish this opportunity and make sure that the brand would be satisfied with the design.


    Her mentor replied to her very quickly, telling her the theme and specific requirements of the design.


    It was already noon by the time they finished discussing this. Song Ying had also returned from class.


    Seeing that Ning Yao had returned to the dormitory, Song Ying handed her the notebook in her hand. ¡°Yaoyao, these are the notes for class since you didn¡¯t go today. Also, the teacher let me sign you in. But if we get a strict teacher next time, I don¡¯t know how to help you.¡±


    Ning Yao nodded her head in embarrassment. ¡°Yes, thank you, Song Ying. I¡¯ll treat you to a mini hot pot tonight!¡±


    The two of them were discussing what they wanted to eat when Xu Na returned. When she saw Ning Yao, she sized the latter up with a strange look and chuckled. ¡°I thought someone was very pure and noble. But it turns out that she was just pretending.¡±


    Ning Yao frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t say it was you. Don¡¯t make that connection.¡± Xu Na smiled provocatively at her as if she was looking at some cheap, dirty thing.


    When Song Ying saw Xu Na¡¯s expression, she wanted to argue with her but was stopped by Ning Yao.


    Song Ying¡¯s glare remained at the door even after Xu Na had just walked out. ¡°Yaoyao, you know she was talking about you. Aren¡¯t you going to do something about her?¡±

 Chapter 23 - New Classmate

    Chapter 23 New Classmate


    ¡°What else does she usually say about me?¡± Ning Yao rarely spent time in the dorm room. So even though she knew Xu Na did not like her very much, she would never truly know what was being said behind her back.


    Song Ying sat down and sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you not come back for two nights? Xu Na said that you were having an affair with a man. She even said that you were able to go to Glory World because of your looks. Of course, Bai Jie and I didn¡¯t believe it.¡±


    When Song Ying finished speaking, she noticed that Ning Yao¡¯s expression remained unchanged. She asked carefully, ¡°Yaoyao, are you not angry?¡± Ning Yao flipped through Song Ying¡¯s notebook without looking up. ¡°What¡¯s there to be angry about? Is she even worthy of making me angry? Some people¡¯s thoughts are dirty, so they would see everything as dirty. I just don¡¯t want to fall out with her. It¡¯ll put you and Bai Jie in a difficult position. But if she continues to slander my innocence¡­¡± Ning Yao paused as her eyes turned cold. ¡°I won¡¯t let her off.¡±


    As soon as the two finished talking, Bai Jie arrived back from the library after borrowing a book. After greeting Ning Yao, she excitedly said, ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a very handsome exchange student who has transferred to our college. He looks like a celebrity.¡±


    Song Ying was most interested in handsome men and immediately joined the discussion.


    Ning Yao was not interested in their conversation at all. She was not interested in men to begin with. Plus, after meeting with Clarence, her concept of handsome men had been refreshed.


    She believed that no matter how handsome the guy Bai Jie mentioned was, there was no way he could be more handsome than Clarence, so she was not curious at all.


    Since Ning Yao was still a student, her working hours were more flexible and adjusted according to her schedule.


    This allowed her to be absent from work the next day because she had two classes to attend.


    After the four dormitory mates washed up and dressed up, they rushed to class.


    The four people in Ning Yao¡¯s dorm were pretty good-looking, thus attracting many people¡¯s attention along the way.


    In reality, Xu Na did not have a good relationship with the other three roommates. However, she also did not want to go to class and eat alone as it would make her look lonely. Therefore, Xu Na would often stand with the others.


    For those who didn¡¯t know these internal dynamics of theirs, they would easily think that the four got along just well.


    Bai Jie was a soft-hearted person. She could not bear to isolate Xu Na. Sometimes, when Song Ying did not want to eat with Xu Na, Bai Jie would go and eat with her.


    Therefore, even though Xu Na was not on good terms with Ning Yao and Song Ying, the relationship between the four dormitory mates could still be somewhat salvaged thanks to Bai Jie.


    The four of them entered the classroom and sat in the back row.


    After the bell rang, the teacher walked in and said with a smile, ¡°Students, an exchange student has come to the academy today. He will be attending classes with you in the future. I hope everyone can get along well with the new student and help each other.¡±


    After the teacher finished speaking, she called out to the door, ¡°Student Yang Yuan, please come in.¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s eyelids twitched when she heard the name.


    Yang Yuan? The person in question leisurely walked into the classroom, accompanied by the enthusiastic applause of his classmates.


    Although Ning Yao hated Yang Yuan, she had to admit that Yang Yuan¡¯s looks were indeed outstanding among the boys.


    On this particular day, Yang Yuan was dressed in a hip-hop outfit with a branded watch that was worth over a million yuan on his wrist. Overall, he looked very cool, like a ruffian.


    And when he smiled, he looked like a young master from a rich family. This kind of boy was obviously very attractive to girls who evidently started to whisper excitedly among themselves about him.


    Xu Na also tugged at Bai Jie¡¯s sleeve and commented, ¡°He¡¯s quite handsome.¡±


    Song Ying didn¡¯t know Yang Yuan¡¯s identity, so she joined in the excitement. ¡°He¡¯s handsome, but he looks like a scumbag.¡±


    ¡®Scumbag,¡¯ thought Ning Yao.


    ¡°Handsome men all look like they¡¯re fickle-minded.¡± Bai Jie smiled.


    Yang Yuan gave a simple greeting to everyone before the teacher told him to find himself a seat.


    Yang Yuan¡¯s eyes swept across the classroom and stopped at Ning Yao¡¯s row.


    Bai Jie immediately became nervous. ¡°Is he looking at us? God, I¡¯m so nervous!¡±


    Xu Na was sitting on the far left of the row but there was still an empty seat next to her. Thus, when she heard Bai Jie¡¯s words, she immediately thought that Yang Yuan was going to sit beside her.


    Xu Na quickly regained her composure after being nervous for two seconds. She revealed a well-planned smile and looked at Yang Yuan, waiting for him to speak.


    However, Yang Yuan did not look at Xu Na when he walked to their row. Instead, he said to Song Ying, who was seated next to Ning Yao, ¡°Excuse me, fellow student, can I sit in your seat?¡±


    The class immediately fell silent and the smile on Xu Na¡¯s face disappeared.

 Chapter 24 - Rejection

    Chapter 24 Rejection


    Ning Yao¡¯s expression turned extremely unsightlyas the rest of the class looked at that row of girls in surprise.


    Although Yang Yuan was talking to Song Ying, the person sitting next to Song Ying was Ning Yao. Did this mean that the new classmate had taken a fancy to Ning Yao?


    Song Ying was stunned for a few seconds. She immediately stood up and said with a kind smile, ¡°Sure!¡±


    Yang Yuan immediately said to Song Ying politely, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    However, before Song Ying could stand up, Ning Yao grabbed her hand and said to Yang Yuan, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I want to sit with my friend. There are still seats in the back so you are free to sit there.¡±


    Although Ning Yao¡¯s tone was polite, the coldness in her eyes could not be hidden.


    Song Ying, who was originally planning to match her roommate with her new classmate, was also stunned for a moment. Why did she feel that Ning Yao¡¯s relationship with her new classmate was not very good?


    Xu Na, who was watching from the side, was also a little surprised. When Yang Yuan had walked toward Ning Yao, she was immediately filled with jealousy and unwillingness.


    She was expecting Ning Yao to willingly receive the attention of such an outstanding man like Yang Yuan. After all, it was hard to find such a rich and handsome man nowadays.


    Ning Yao came from an ordinary family, so there was no reason for her not to be attracted to a man like Yang Yuan.


    However, Xu Na did not expect Ning Yao to reject Yang Yuan so directly with a tone so cold as if she did not like Yang Yuan at all.


    Xu Na looked at Ning Yao in disbelief as if she was an idiot.


    ¡®No way! Ning Yao must have done it on purpose. She just wants to attract Yang Yuan¡¯s attention and make him feel that she¡¯s different from other women. That¡¯s why she rejected Yang Yuan so directly,¡¯ thought Xu Na as she tried to figure out Ning Yao¡¯s response.


    Ning Yao¡¯s rejection made Yang Yuan feel very embarrassed. Yang Yuan had never thought Ning Yao would be so rude to him.


    Moreover, the entire classroom¡¯s attention was now on them. To Yang Yuan, this was undoubtedly the most embarrassing thing that can happen. His expression immediately changed.


    But Ning Yao continued to look at him without a change in her cold expression toward him.


    When she found out that Yang Yuan was the exchange student, she knew that things weren¡¯t as simple as they seemed.


    She had thought that Yang Yuan would stop bugging her after she broke off the engagement with the Yang family. Never would she expect Yang Yuan to chase her all the way to her school.


    She didn¡¯t believe that Yang Yuan liked her so much that he was willing to be so persistent with his pursuit. He was most likely just unwilling to give up.


    Yang Yuan was such a proud and arrogant person. How could he accept the fact that his engagement was broken off by a woman?


    Furthermore, Ning Yao didn¡¯t like him at all, so she naturally didn¡¯t want to cooperate with him. After rejecting Yang Yuan, she decided not to look at him anymore and turned toward her textbook.


    Yang Yuan was so angry that he was about to explode when he realized that Ning Yao didn¡¯t even want to look at him anymore. His pride as a man had just been completely trampled on.


    Just as the atmosphere became extremely awkward, Xu Na suddenly took the initiative to say, ¡°Yang Yuan, there¡¯s a seat beside me. Why don¡¯t you sit next to me first? Yaoyao has a bad temper and is insensible. Please don¡¯t be angry with her.¡±


    Xu Na¡¯s words gave Yang Yuan a way out. He glared at Ning Yao before sitting down beside Xu Na without saying anything else.


    Xu Na was overjoyed. When Yang Yuan sat down beside her, she was able to get a good look at him and her heart started to race faster.


    ¡®Hmph, that stupid woman Ning Yao, doesn¡¯t she know that a man¡¯s pride is the most important to them? To have embarrassed Yang Yuan in front of so many people would obviously make him very unhappy, no matter how much Yang Yuan liked her.


    Luckily, she managed to grab the opportunity to get Yang Yuan to sit beside her.


    Xu Na lowered her head and looked into her phone¡¯s selfie camera. When she saw that her makeup was still perfect and her lipstick was bright and alluring, she turned to Yang Yuan and flashed him an elegant and brilliant smile before saying, ¡°Yang Yuan, which school were you from?¡±


    Yang Yuan had suffered at Ning Yao¡¯s hands, but when he saw a beauty like Xu Na take the initiative to greet him, his mood instantly improved.


    This must mean that his male charm was still intact and that Ning Yao was simply blind. She didn¡¯t know how to cherish such an excellent man like him.


    Yang Yuan revealed the name of his university overseas and Xu Na immediately looked at him with admiration. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing! That school isn¡¯t a place that just anyone can get into.¡±


    Yang Yuan¡¯s mood brightened when he heard Xu Na¡¯s praises and admiration for him. He started to treat her with a bit more humility and courtesy.


    After the two of them got to know each other a little better, Xu Na started talking about Ning Yao.


    ¡°There are usually a lot of people wooing Yaoyao in school, so she¡¯s just a little proud. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Xu Na gently ¡®explained¡¯ Ning Yao to Yang Yuan.

 Chapter 25 - An Accident of Love

    Chapter 25 An Accident of Love


    Yang Yuan¡¯s expression turned ugly when he heard Xu Na¡¯s words.


    Ning Yao was supposed to study abroad with him. Her brother had even completed all the necessary procedures so that she could transition smoothly.


    The two families were planning to wait until Yang Yuan and Ning Yao reached the legal age of marriage before they returned to China to get married. Yang Yuan was convinced his wife would be Ning Yao.


    He had been a little reluctant initially. After all, he was still young and had so many women by his side. If he were to get married so early, wouldn¡¯t he be unable to indulge in life?


    However, before he could worry for long, Ning Yao was the one who approached the Yang family with conviction and broke off the engagement.


    His parents were naturally very angry about this matter. They went directly to Ning Yao¡¯s brother and told him that the marriage between the two families was canceled.


    However, Ning Yao¡¯s brother said that it was an impulsive decision made by Ning Yao and that he would try to persuade her to withdraw her decision.


    After listening to Ning Wen¡¯s words, Mr. Yang, Mrs. Yang, and Yang Yuan were willing to give the Ning family some respect. However, they had not expected Ning Yao to run away from home, insisting that she would never Yang Yuan.


    This made Mr. Yang and Mrs. Yang extremely angry. If it wasn¡¯t for Ning Wen¡¯s repeated apologies, the two families would have become enemies.


    Yang Yuan had not seen Ning Yao since she went to university, so he had no idea how she was doing at school.


    Thus, when he heard Xu Na¡¯s words, he asked, ¡°You said that many people are pursuing her? Did she accept any of them?¡±


    Although Ning Yao had long broken off their engagement, Yang Yuan still felt that Ning Yao was still his fianc¨¦e.


    This was why hearing that Ning Yao had many suitors in school upset him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she accepted any of them.¡± Xu Na smiled mysteriously. ¡°But two days ago, Ning Yao didn¡¯t come home at night. Someone even took a picture of her being intimate with a man in the school¡¯s auditorium.¡±


    Yang Yuan¡¯s expression darkened when he heard Xu Na¡¯s words.


    Ning Yao stayed out all night? Was she having an affair with a wild man outside?


    Yang Yuan felt so angry it was as if his wife had an affair behind his back.


    As Yang Yuan and Xu Na were whispering to each other, Song Ying looked over and said unhappily, ¡°She¡¯s good at picking up scraps.¡±


    The new classmate had clearly taken a fancy to Ning Yao first.


    However, Ning Yao did not care about Yang Yuan at all. She did not even look at Yang Yuan, let alone Xu Na.


    After class, Ning Yao was about to return books to the library with Song Ying when she turned around and saw Xu Na and Yang Yuan walking out of the classroom together.


    Before Yang Yuan left, he turned to look at Ning Yao with anger in his eyes, as if Ning Yao had done something wrong to him.


    Ning Yao did not respond to his anger and pretended not to see him. Then, she returned the book with Song Ying. The two of them were about to go to the cafeteria to eat when Ning Yao¡¯s phone suddenly rang.


    She picked up the call and Clarence¡¯s cold voice came through. ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I just finished class and am going to the cafeteria now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at Moonlight Lotus Pond near your school. I have a contract for you to deal with. Why don¡¯t you come over?¡± asked Clarence nervously as he held the contract in his hand.


    The contract was just an excuse. He just missed her too much after not seeing her for a whole day, so he wanted to come over to treat her to a meal.


    He had no idea how he had endured the days without Ning Yao before this.


    All he knew was that ever since she appeared, he wanted to see her every day.


    Clarence¡¯s words made Ning Yao feel a little embarrassed. ¡°But I¡¯ve already made an appointment with my roommates¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. You can go.¡± Song Ying was very observant. She quickly said out loud that she was not important at all.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there in a bit.¡± Ning Yao hung up the phone and Song Ying hurriedly came up to her with a gossipy smile. ¡°Was it your boss?¡±


    Ning Yao nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think there¡¯s been a lot of work at the company recently, so¡­¡±


    Song Ying blinked her eyes suggestively. ¡°I understand, I understand. Hurry up and go, then. If you don¡¯t come back tonight, I¡¯ll come up with some excuse to explain to the dormitory leader.¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s face turned red when she heard that. She reached out to pat Song Ying¡¯s perky butt. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? I didn¡¯t come back for those two days because of an accident, an accident!¡±


    But Song Ying nimbly dodged Ning Yao¡¯s hand like a little monkey as she laughed and ran away, waving her hands as she ran. ¡°I know, it¡¯s an accident of love!¡±


    Ning Yao sighed helplessly and walked out of the school. She was afraid that Clarence would wait for her for too long, so she took a taxi to Moonlight Lotus Pond.

 Chapter 26 - Mr. Hes Photo Album

    Chapter 26 Mr. He¡¯s Photo Album


    Clarence was seated at the prime seat by the window on the second floor. The restaurant¡¯s overall style was pastoral, with emerald green bamboo on both sides of the seat and a screen with a landscape painting of beautiful mountains and rivers in ink.


    While waiting for Ning Yao to come over, he opened the photo album on his phone and started to browse through the photos he had taken a few days ago.


    He had secretly taken photos of her, including the last time he had gone to watch Ning Yao¡¯s swimming competition.


    Ning Yao¡¯s appearance on the field was completely different from her usual self. She looked particularly heroic, confident, and bright, and he could not move his eyes away from her.


    There was nothing else in his photo album except Ning Yao¡¯s photos. The rest were his chat records with Ning Yao.


    He had specially taken a screenshot and saved the conversation between the two of them after they had added each other on WeChat. Since Ning Yao had only treated him as the president of Glory World, she had been very polite to him and their conversation had not been sweet at all.


    However, to him, this was still very memorable, because this was the first day they were reunited.


    He still remembered that after the two of them added each other as friends, he was particularly nervous and didn¡¯t know what to say. He didn¡¯t have the usual high-spirited air he usually had at the negotiation table at all. He was nervous like a little boy who had never seen the world.


    Because he did not know what to say to make her like him, he chose to speak less. This also led to his short and cold replies no matter what Ning Yao said to him.


    But who knew that at that time, he was itching to make a video call to her. He had more than ten years of longing and love in his heart that he wanted to tell her.


    A faint smile appeared on Clarence¡¯s face as he looked through the chat history. The sunlight from outside the window fell on his side profile through the blinds and curtains, making him look as handsome as the sun god.


    When Ning Yao saw Clarence, she could not help holding her breath.


    No matter how many times she saw Clarence¡¯s face, she would still be stunned when she saw it again.


    ¡°Mr. He.¡± Ning Yao called out to him and sat down.


    Clarence, who was sitting across from her, put away his phone and pushed the menu to her. ¡°Order whatever you want.¡±


    Ning Yao knew that Moonlight Lotus Pond was a newly-opened high-end Chinese restaurant. The price of one dish was enough to buy a table of dishes outside.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Clarence, she wouldn¡¯t have been willing to eat at such a place.


    She took the menu and ordered a few signature dishes. She didn¡¯t order too much to avoid wasting food.


    She recalled Clarence ordering a table full of dishes for her before.


    This time, Clarence allowed her to order her own food, so he must have remembered what she said last time. Ning Yao did not expect Clarence to take her words to heart.


    The waiter eventually arrived to serve the dishes. Ning Yao took a bite and found that they were indeed delicious.


    The taste was different from the restaurants outside, the ingredients used here were obviously the best, and the chef¡¯s processing techniques were very delicate, so the taste was particularly rich.


    However, when she looked across from her, Clarence had only taken a few bites before putting down his chopsticks.


    ¡°Mr. He, is it not good?¡± Ning Yao was worried that the dishes she had ordered were not to his taste.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not very hungry, and¡­¡± He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not as good as your cooking.¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s face turned red. Was he just patronizing her? How could her cooking standard be compared to the chefs here?


    After the meal, Ning Yao wiped her mouth and took two sips of tea. She looked up and saw Clarence handing her a contract.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just give it to me before work tomorrow.¡±


    Ning Yao took the contract and briefly looked through it. She frowned slightly. This contract was quite troublesome and it would take a long time to sort it out.


    But she didn¡¯t say anything. After accepting the contract, she turned to Clarence. ¡°Is there anything else, Mr. He?¡±


    Clarence looked at the time and said, ¡°No, that¡¯s all. I¡¯ll send you back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± said Ning Yao quickly. ¡°My school is not that far¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s on the way anyway.¡± Clarence didn¡¯t give her a chance to refuse.


    After getting into the car and turning the corner across the street from the school, Clarence told the driver to stop.


    After all, the car was too high-profile. If the people from school saw it, they might maliciously speculate the relationship between Ning Yao and Clarence. So, Clarence did not send Ning Yao to the school gate.


    Ning Yao was silently grateful for Clarence¡¯s thoughtfulness. After saying goodbye to him, she got out of the car.


    She had just reached the school gate when a figure suddenly jumped out from the side and grabbed her wrist with a terrifying strength.


    When Ning Yao saw that it was Yang Yuan, she immediately tried to break free. ¡°Yang Yuan, what are you doing?!¡±

 Chapter 27 - Making a Move

    Chapter 27 Making a Move


    Yang Yuan glared at her and said in a low voice, ¡°Ning Yao, how can you be so shameless? You¡¯re not willing to marry me, but you¡¯re sleeping with someone else? Can anyone just treat you like a public bus?¡±


    Ning Yao did not expect to hear such a filthy insult from Yang Yuan. She was so angry that her face turned red. ¡°What nonsense are you saying? I no longer have any relationship with you, can you stop bugging me? If you continue to slander me, don¡¯t blame me for being impolite!¡±


    ¡°Impolite?¡± Yang Yuan laughed arrogantly. ¡°How are you going to treat me? Ning Yao, I really didn¡¯t expect you to be so slutty. It turns out that you¡¯ve always been pretending to be virtuous in front of me. Come on, tell me, how much do I need to pay for a night with you? Isn¡¯t your brother in need of money now? I¡¯ll give you however much you need. Tell me, how much do you need to be a mistress? Is two hundred thousand a night enough?¡±


    The two of them were arguing at the school gate, thus it was easy for other students nearby to hear the commotion and looked over.


    Ning Yao wanted to ask the security guards at the school gate for help, but the security guards thought that they were just having a couple¡¯s quarrel. Thus, not only did they not come to help, but they also watched them as if they were watching a show.


    Since no one cared, Yang Yuan became more and more presumptuous. He wrapped one hand around Ning Yao¡¯s waist and used the other to drag her into his car parked next to the school gate.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Before Ning Yao could react, Yang Yuan, who had been forcing her, was punched and had fallen to the ground.


    Ning Yao looked up and saw a gloomy-looking Clarence standing over Yang Yuan. Before she could say anything, Clarence had already taken off his suit jacket and put it on her shoulders.


    It was only then that Ning Yao noticed that Yang Yuan had ripped off the buttons on her shirt while she was arguing with him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here.¡± said the man gently as he touched Ning Yao¡¯s cheek with his palm.


    Ning Yao opened her mouth and was about to say something, but her eyes suddenly widened.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Yang Yuan, who had fallen to the ground, had already gotten up, furious that he had been punched by Clarence. He had lost his mind and was ready to fight back as he threw a fierce punch at Clarence.


    With his back to Yang Yuan, Clarence didn¡¯t see Yang Yuan¡¯s attack, but he dodged it as if he had predicted it.


    Before Ning Yao could react, Clarence had already kicked Yang Yuan¡¯s body.


    He did not hold back at all and the sound of bones breaking in that instant was particularly terrifying.


    Clarence was about to make another move, but Ning Yao quickly stopped him.


    She didn¡¯t expect Clarence¡¯s strength and speed to be so terrifying, and she was afraid that if Clarence attacked again, Yang Yuan would be dead.


    He lowered his head to hold her tightly. As he did so, Ning Yao managed to have a good look into his eyes. His irises were originally light gold, but they were now glowing brighter as his pupils had become vertical slits as if he was a cold-blooded beast in the forest.


    However, in just a moment, Clarence¡¯s eyes returned to normal and Ning Yao almost thought that she had seen it wrong.


    ¡°Are you alright? Where did he touch you just now?¡± asked Clarence as he held her.


    Ning Yao shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    When the school¡¯s security arrived, Yang Yuan was still wailing in pain on the ground. The security guards quickly called for an ambulance to take him away.


    After that, Ning Yao went to the police station with Clarence. At first, she was very nervous, worried that this matter would not be resolved so easily.


    However, to her surprise, Clarence came out less than five minutes later and calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you back to your dormitory.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine? Don¡¯t you need to take a statement or something?¡± Ning Yao¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°There were a lot of students around at that time, and they can testify that the man harassed you first. As for me injuring him, it was also legitimate self-defense, because he was the one who attacked me first.¡± Clarence explained patiently as he was afraid that Ning Yao would be worried.


    Ning Yao nodded and walked out of the police station with Clarence.


    After the two of them left, the security guard in the police station looked at the person next to him with a long face. ¡°How did you offend two big shots all of a sudden? How are we going to explain to President Yang?¡±


    When Clarence came in, they had planned to scare him and then push all the responsibility to him.


    However, they did not expect the other party to be the president of Glory world Corporation. They were so scared that they almost slapped themselves and begged for mercy.


    If it had been an ordinary person, they would have to apologize to young master Yang Yuan, and they might even be retaliated against.


    However, if it was Clarence, Yang Yuan would be the one at fault.


    As for them, even if the Yang family complained about them and forced them to resign, they could only keep quiet.

 Chapter 28 - Concerned about Me?

    Chapter 28 Concerned about Me?


    When they reached the door, Ning Yao lowered her head and said to Clarence, ¡°Thank you, Mr. He. It¡¯s all thanks to you this time.¡±


    ¡°Who was that person?¡± A hint of killing intent appeared in Clarence¡¯s eyes at the thought of Yang Yuan.


    ¡°He¡¯s my ex-fianc¨¦,¡± Ning Yao explained helplessly. ¡°But I have nothing to do with him anymore. He came to our school as an exchange student recently, so I met him today.¡±


    ¡°You should stay away from him in the future.¡± Clarency nodded. Then, he looked at her worriedly. ¡°But won¡¯t you run into him often in school in the future?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯ll be more careful. I¡¯ve troubled you today, Mr. He.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You can go back and rest. I¡¯ll take care of that man.¡±


    The two had eventually arrived at the entrance of the dormitory building. One was tall and handsome, while the other was petite and cute. They immediately attracted many people¡¯s attention.


    There were often young couples making out in front of the dormitory building and this pair seemed to match the image of a couple in love.


    What made Ning Yao even more flustered was the fact that Clarence was touching her head so gently. Ning Yao¡¯s face and ears immediately turned red as she turned around and ran into the dormitory building without even saying goodbye to him.


    As he looked at Ning Yao¡¯s back, there was a gentleness in his eyes. A boy next to him stared at her for a long time before he finally couldn¡¯t help but said, ¡°Brother, your girlfriend is so beautiful. She¡¯s so blessed!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Clarence turned around and smiled.


    When Ning Yao returned to the dormitory, she realized that her roommates were not there. She then realized that she was still wearing Clarence¡¯s suit jacket and quickly took it off.


    The black suit jacket had a unique smell that belonged only to Clarence. It smelled woody mixed with sandalwood in a Buddhist temple. In short, it smelled very good.


    She stood there in a daze for a while before she folded the suit and put it away. She planned to go to a dry cleaner tomorrow to wash it before returning it to Clarence.


    When her roommates came back in the evening, Bai Jie mentioned that there seemed to be an incident outside the school in the afternoon. The other two did not know the details.


    It seemed like the school had taken measures to keep this matter a secret and did not want to blow it up.


    After all, Yang Yuan was the young master of Yang Group. The school wouldn¡¯t be able to escape responsibility if something happened to him.


    Of course, the most important thing was that the president of Glory World Corporation, Clarence, was also present.


    Between the two, the school was actually more afraid of Clarence.


    Ning Yao was relieved. She put the contract that Clarence had given her this afternoon on the table. She was going to sort out her thoughts tonight and then organize them in detail tomorrow.


    She was looking at the contract when she received a message on her phone.


    She opened it and saw that it was Clarence who had messaged.


    (You don¡¯t have to come tomorrow. Have a good rest.¡¯


    Clarence must have asked her to rest for one more day because he was worried that she had been frightened today.


    However, Ning Yao was not so delicate. After thanking him, she responded.


    (I¡¯m fine, Mr. He. I¡¯m not injured, so I¡¯ll still be at the office tomorrow.)


    [Alright, have you had dinner?]


    [I¡¯ve eaten, what about you?]


    After replying, Ning Yao suddenly felt that the two of them really acted like a couple.


    After all, how could a boss and employee ask each other if they had eaten dinner?


    Her heart raced, but she felt that she was overthinking things. Maybe he was just concerned about his employee¡¯s mental state. After all, she had just been harassed by Yang Yuan this afternoon.


    She looked at her phone again as Clarence replied.


    [Not yet.)


    (That won¡¯t do. It¡¯ll hurt your stomach if you don¡¯t eat dinner.]


    Ning Yao started to worry for Clarence.


    [It¡¯s really uncomfortable to have gastric.]


    After a moment of silence, a message came from the other side.


    [Concerned about me?]


    Ning Yaowas stunned.


    Why would Clarence ask her that?


    Concerned? Was¡­she?


    She was just asking a few more questions.


    [I guess so. Anyway, Mr. He, please hurry up and have your dinner. I¡¯ll stop talking. I haven¡¯t finished reading the contract yet.]


    Ning Yao blushed and put down her phone.


    In less than two minutes, she couldn¡¯t help but turn on her phone again to see what Clarence had replied.


    When she turned on her phone, she suddenly remembered a sentence she had read on the internet before: ¡®Looking forward to a man¡¯s reply is the first step to falling in love with him.¡¯


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Was she expecting a reply from Clarence?


    She turned on her phone and found a picture. In the picture, there was a simple piece of steak on a ceramic plate on a clean table.


    The photo was taken very casually since Clarence¡¯s other hand which was holding a fork was also in the picture. The man¡¯s fingers were long, slender, and sexy. No matter how you looked at it, you would not get tired of it.


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart raced and she quickly saved the photo to her phone. She then pretended to be calm and replied.


    (Yes, you should eat more.]


    The other side was silent for two seconds before replying with two words. [Yes, ma¡¯am.]

 Chapter 29 - Lily Is Back

    Chapter 29 Lily Is Back


    The next day at work, before Ning Yao entered the office, she suddenly recalled the conversation she had with Clarence the day before and felt a little flustered.


    She took a deep breath and was about to push the door open when a voice suddenly came from behind her, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going in?¡±


    Startled, Ning Yao turned around abruptly. However, due to her sudden movement, she accidentally knocked over the cup of coffee in Clarence¡¯s hand.


    In an instant, the coffee splashed all over Clarence¡¯s body as well as on Ning Yao¡¯s skirt, staining the two with coffee.


    Ning Yao¡¯s face turned pale. Just as she was about to say something, Clarence waved his hand dismissively and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±


    The two of them entered the office and Ning Yao quickly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. He, I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I shouldn¡¯t have stood so close to you. There¡¯s a change of clothes in the locker in the lounge over there. You can change into them temporarily.¡±


    There was a room next to his office. Usually, if he was too busy with work, he would take a break in the office. But Ning Yao had never entered the room.


    After pushing the door open and entering, what came into view was a very large Simmons bed that could fit three to four people easily.


    The room¡¯s layout was very simple. There was only a bed, a large wardrobe, a single leather sofa, and a floor lamp.


    Ning Yao opened the closet and took out a suit jacket. To her surprise, there was a stack of women¡¯s clothes beside it.


    Ning Yao looked at the size of the dress. It was an S size, which matched hers.


    Her heart started to beat faster.


    Were these clothes prepared for her? However, wasn¡¯t it a little strange that her clothes were in Clarence¡¯s room?


    Clarence must have prepared these for her because he was afraid that she couldn¡¯t afford high-end clothes. That must be it.


    A moment later, Clarence saw Ning Yao walking out with his suit jacket in her arms. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you change?¡±


    Ning Yao bit her lips. ¡°It¡¯s still working hours, so it¡¯s not appropriate for me to change in your office. I¡¯ll go to the mall to buy another set of clothes later.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Clarence finally realized that she was afraid of gossip.


    He didn¡¯t care about what the others said. In fact, he even wanted people to misunderstand him and Ning Yao. After all, their progress was a little too slow for him.


    However, Ning Yao was a shy girl. Since she didn¡¯t want others to gossip about her, he would respect her wishes.


    ¡°Why are you in a daze? Come here.¡± Clarence stood up and called out to her when he saw that Ning Yao was still standing there.


    Ning Yao walked up to him with the suit jacket and put it on for him.


    The two of them stood very close to each other and she could smell the faint fragrance on the man¡¯s body. She didn¡¯t feel anything in the past, but now her heart suddenly sped up.


    After putting his coat on for him, she picked up a blue suit and tie and was about to put it on for Clarence.


    The man was too tall, so Ning Yao had no choice but to tiptoe and wrap the tie around his neck.


    Seeing Ning Yao standing on her tiptoes, he bent down slightly and lowered his head. The distance between them was shortened in an instant, and he could even see Ning Yao¡¯s long and curly eyelashes.


    Ning Yao and Clarence looked at each other for a second and she became extremely nervous. She quickly put on his tie and took three steps back, as if Clarence was a hot stove.


    After getting dressed by his future wife, Clarence immediately fell in a good mood. He sat down and handed a folder to Ning Yao.


    ¡°Take it and have a look. If you don¡¯t understand anything, ask me.¡±


    Ning Yao took the folder and opened it.


    This was information on an independent project of the company, and it was first-hand top-secret information.


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t understand why Clarence would show her this, but since her boss wanted her to take a good look at it, she would do as she was told.


    Returning to her desk, Ning Yao first dealt with the contract Clarence had given her, then read through some documents and searched for some professional terms on the internet.


    In the blink of an eye, it was already noon, and it had started to drizzle outside.


    Ning Yao and Clarence did not go out for lunch. Instead, Ning Yao ordered some pork ribs rice and shrimp mushroom soup for them. After lunch, she continued to work.


    When it was almost time to get off work, Martin came in to check on Ning Yao. He then said to Clarence, ¡°Mr. He, Lily is back. Do you have any plans?¡±


    Ning Yao raised her head at the mention of Lily¡¯s name.


    Of course, she still remembered this person. Back then, those people who gossiped behind her back had mentioned this name.


    Lily was 28 years old this year. She had been working for Clarence since the company was first established. When the company expanded and set up a secretarial department, she naturally became the Chief Secretary of the company.


    Ning Yao had never seen Lily¡¯s photo before, but she would occasionally hear people in the company comparing her to Lily, saying that the latter was a gorgeous beauty, while the former was far inferior to the latter in terms of aura.


    Of course, Ning Yao did not like to be compared to others, but the people in the company loved to discuss such things, so she could only pretend that she did not hear it.


    Now, Lily was finally back.

 Chapter 30 - Unreconciled

    Chapter 30 Unreconciled


    Ning Yao thought to herself, ¡®After Lily returns, maybe Clarence won¡¯t give me so much important work anymore.¡±


    Thinking of this, she felt a little disappointed.


    ¡°Let her in,¡± said Clarency without raising his head.


    After Martin left for a while, a beautiful woman with long, wavy hair and a medium build followed him in.


    Lily was very pretty, like a movie star. The Thai-style makeup on her face made her look very exotic.


    Her pumpkin-colored lipstick made her look less flamboyant and gave her a more calm and reserved temperament.


    When Lily entered the room, she did not look at Clarence immediately. Instead, she shot a quick glance at Ning Yao.


    Although Lily was always away on business trips, someone kept her updated on the company¡¯s situation.


    She knew that Clarence had hired a new secretary who hadn¡¯t even graduated yet. And no matter where he went, he would bring this little secretary with him.


    The moment she saw Ning Yao, she knew that she had met a strong rival. Ning Yao had a face that was very attractive to men.


    She was pure and clean, with a youthful vigor but also a hidden feminine charm.


    This face, even without makeup, was more attractive than those women with heavy makeup.


    Lily¡¯s heart sank, but she did not show it.


    She walked up to Clarence and called out softly, ¡°Mr. He.¡±


    Clarence raised his head and said, ¡°You did well this time. The climate in the northwest is not good. Are you not used to it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not very tired. There¡¯s a lot of delicious food over there.¡±She brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled gently.


    The two of them seemed to have known each other for many years, so when they chatted, there was no sense of distance between a superior and a subordinate.


    Ning Yao, who had been secretly listening, suddenly felt as if she was an outsider. She lowered her head and tried to make her presence unknown.


    ¡°Do you want to rest for a few days? I¡¯ll get Martin to arrange a trip to Ladoga Island for you.¡± After Clarence signed the contract, he closed his pen and looked up at Lily.


    The smile on Lily¡¯s face froze for a moment. For a moment, she could not tell if Clarence was genuinely giving her a break or if he wanted her to give up her seat to someone else.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My family¡¯s counting on me to make money. Besides, I can¡¯t stay idle. Mr. He, you know that.¡± Lily calmly rejected Clarence¡¯s suggestion.


    Clarence nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m just afraid that they¡¯ll say that I¡¯m oppressing you too much. Since you¡¯re not too busy, follow up on Miles Corporation¡¯s projects with Martin. Andy has run into some trouble. If it really doesn¡¯t work, you¡¯ll have to make a trip there. Make sure that your visa to D Nation has not expired.¡±


    She nodded in response, but after listening to all the arrangements, her heart began to sink.


    The arrangements Clarence made were all very important, and it seemed like he valued her.


    However, all of these things had one thing in common. Her duties were not in the city and she didn¡¯t need to report to Clarence often.


    In other words, she was no longer in charge of work directly related to Clarence.


    She felt so depressed that she could barely breathe.


    She could feel the breathing of a third person in the office and she did not know if the girl named Vera was happy and proud at this time.


    Before she returned, her colleagues had already bet that Vera would pack up and leave as soon as she returned.


    But now, it seemed like she was the one Clarence was trying to distance himself from.


    She could not believe that this was a decision made by Clarence. He was a very fair and just person. She was sure that she was his best secretary as she knew all his habits and hobbies. Why did he ask her to leave?


    Was Vera really that much of a favorite of his?


    The smile on Lily¡¯s face seemed to crack. She really wanted to voice her doubts before Clarence.


    Why did he want to keep Vera? Could this newcomer have done better than her?


    new


    Clarence looked up and noticed that Lily was still standing there. He raised his eyebrows in confusion. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Despite a storm raging in her heart, Lily revealed a standard smile and calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be outside. Call me if there¡¯s anything.¡±


    The last sentence was what she used to say to Claraence and she said it out of habit.


    However, it didn¡¯t seem necessary¡­


    If he needed anything now, the person he would be calling for should be that woman, right?


    Lily walked out of the office in her high heels. Before she left, she glanced at Vera¡¯s work area and saw that the girl was reading some documents with her head lowered.


    What¡¯s she pretending for? She must be very proud now, right?


    Lily was not someone who was easily jealous of others. Usually, it was others who were jealous of her.


    However, at this moment, she really hated this woman called Ning Yao.


    Ning Yao did not notice when Lily had left the room because she had received a message on her phone.

 Chapter 31 - Heartache

    Chapter 31 Heartache


    After Lily left the room, Ning Yao picked up her phone and bag and walked up to Clarence. She anxiously said, ¡°Mr. He, can I get off work early?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Clarence when he saw how anxious she was. ¡°Something happened in my family.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go ahead. Just apply for an Emergency Leave on the company¡¯s online portal and I¡¯ll approve it.¡± Seeing that Ning Yao¡¯s face was a little pale, he asked, ¡°Are you in a hurry? I¡¯ll get the driver to send you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. He,¡± said Ning Yao as she walked out. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to send me. I¡¯ll take a taxi there.¡±


    And with that, Ning Yao disappeared as the door closed.


    Clarence thought for a moment, then made a phone call to ask his men to investigate what had happened to Ning Yao¡¯s brother.


    When Ning Yao left early, many people saw her, including Lily, who was meeting up with Martin.


    After taking the USB from Martin, Lily returned to her desk. She turned on her computer, but she could not see the numbers and forms on the data. Annoyed, she stood up and went to the lounge to make a cup of coffee.


    When she was making coffee, she remembered that she used to make coffee for Clarence.


    Clarence didn¡¯t like coffee with any sour or raw bean flavor. The coffee beans she used to make the coffee for him were bought from an agent, and a small can of coffee was extremely expensive.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t mention this to Clarence and he didn¡¯t ask about it either. The only thing he said was that the new coffee flavor was not bad.


    She¡¯d never drink such expensive coffee but the money for it still came from her own salary.


    Lily did not know why she was willing to do that. He was her boss and it was impossible for them to be together.


    However, she just couldn¡¯t help but want to treat him well. Even if it could make him a little happy, she felt that it was worth it.


    In the beginning, she consoled herself that she was just trying to please her boss so that he would be satisfied with her and give her a promotion.


    However, she knew that her feelings for Clarence were no longer as simple as they seemed.


    Lily took a sip of the coffee and the bitterness seeped into his heart.


    After all, even if she could resist falling for a man like Clarence at first sight, she would slowly fall for him at second and third sight.


    Besides, she had been with him for so many years.


    As she was lost in her thoughts and emotions, someone walked in and saw Lily standing there. So the person decided to greet her warmly. ¡°Hi, Lily.¡±


    The man looked left and right. Seeing that there was no one around, he leaned over and whispered to Lily, ¡°Vera just went out. Did you see?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. What¡¯s wrong?¡± She took a sip of her coffee without saying anything.


    ¡°Does this count as her leaving early? Our company forbids us from being late and leaving early.¡± The man pouted in dissatisfaction. ¡°Why is she the only one who¡¯s special?


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t even graduated yet. There must be a reason.¡± Although Lily had very complicated feelings towards Vera, she was still not used to talking bad about Vera behind her back.


    ¡°When did the Secretary Department ever hire an intern? She only comes to work once every two days! Mr. He is usually so busy but he still has to accommodate her time. What right does she have?¡± The more that person spoke, the angrier he got. ¡°Lily, now that you¡¯re back, when is she moving out?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lily smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be happening because Mr. He has made other arrangements for me. She¡¯ll probably continue to do it.¡±


    The man looked at Lily in surprise, probably already making guesses.


    Not wanting to see the sympathy and awkwardness in the others¡¯ eyes, she turned around and left the lounge.


    She continued to walk to the office window and looked down. She could vaguely see a girl in a beige suit getting into a taxi.


    Lily heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Clarence did not arrange for a chauffeur to send her. If that were the case, she would be done for.


    She thought to herself happily, ¡®I don¡¯t think Clarence likes her that much. If he really likes someone, why would he let that person take a taxi?¡± Moreover, the past few days saw an increase in the number of accidents on the road, mostly related to taxis and rented cars.


    Ning Yao took a taxi to the hospital and got out hurriedly after paying.


    The moment the car door closed, the taxi driver turned around and drove towards the Glory World building. As he changed lanes, he replied through his Bluetooth headset, ¡°Mr. He, I¡¯ve sent Miss Ning to the hospital.¡±


    When Ning Yao arrived at the emergency room, she saw her brother¡¯s assistant, Wang Yong, waiting in front of the door. She quickly grabbed Wang Yong¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my brother? How is he?¡±


    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry, CEO Ning is still in surgery.¡± Wang Yong didn¡¯t know how to comfort Ning Yao, so he could only try to calm her down.

 Chapter 32 - Cerebral Hemorrhage

    Chapter 32 Cerebral Hemorrhage


    Ning Yao and Wang Yong waited outside the emergency room for almost two hours before the lights in the emergency room dimmed. The doctor came out and took off his mask. ¡°The patient¡¯s condition is stable. You can go and see him, but don¡¯t talk too much with him.¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s tense nerves relaxed at once. Her body swayed and she almost fell to the floor. It was only thanks to Wang Yong¡¯s support that she did not.


    After Ning Wen was transferred to the ward, Ning Yao asked Wang Yong to go back to the company to stabilize the situation there while she stayed in the hospital to take care of Ning Wen. If his condition was still stable, Wang Yong would arrange for someone to take over the shift tomorrow.


    After Wang Yong left, Ning Yao went into the ward and saw that Ning Wen was still unconscious. She searched through online food apps for things for some good food she could get for her and her brother to eat.


    She remembered the last time she went to Moonlight Lotus Pond for a meal and how the ingredients were clean and fresh with plenty of vegetables. She also noticed that Moonlight Lotus Pond also had a delivery service, so she made an order online.


    Just a few side dishes and a bowl of porridge already cost more than 2000 yuan, but Ning Yao did not feel the pinch. After ordering, she went out to chat with the doctors and nurses, eventually finding out that the cause of her brother¡¯s coma was a cerebral hemorrhage.


    ¡°The patient¡¯s cerebral vessels are abnormal due to prolonged lack of sleep and overwork. This was how the cerebral hemorrhage happened.¡± The doctor explained to her patiently.


    ¡°You must make sure he started to rest more in the future. He cannot keep ruining his body like this. Young people nowadays don¡¯t take a good night¡¯s rest seriously enough. We just had a patient who passed a few days ago because of prolonged and severe overwork.¡±


    Ning Yao was so scared that her face turned pale.


    ¡°Doctor Zhu, don¡¯t scare the patient¡¯s family!¡± The young nurse beside him hurriedly reminded him to watch his mouth.


    Dr. Zhu glared at her. ¡°If I didn¡¯t say that, would the patient and his family take things seriously? And I¡¯m not exaggerating, I¡¯m doing this for their own good!¡±


    After thanking the doctor, Ning Yao walked back to the ward in a daze.


    The family¡¯s company had not been doing too well lately, with multiple existing projects making losses. Ning Wen had been trying to initiate new projects to generate new revenue for the company. However, the shareholders had been quite opposed to his ideas, claiming that the risks were too great.


    Still, if they continued to rely on their past capital, the company would probably be eliminated from the market in a few years.


    This would mean her brother would have to find opportunities to break through on his own by investing his own money and waiting for the project to take off before looking for shareholders.


    She had been in school all her life and had no idea that her brother had shouldered so many difficulties alone.


    If Wang Yong hadn¡¯t updated her about this when they were still waiting for the surgery to be completed earlier, she would have thought that she was the only one who had suffered all these years!


    Tears welled up in Ning Yao¡¯s eyes and she sniffed. Before she opened the door to the ward, she patted her cheeks to hold back her tears.


    When she entered, Ning Wen had already woken up and was staring at the darkening sky outside the window.


    ¡°Brother.¡± Ning Yao walked towards his bedside. ¡°Are you hungry? The food will be delivered soon.¡±


    ¡°Yaoyao, why are you here? Wang Yong is such a busybody. It¡¯s just a small matter, yet he called you over.¡± Ning Wen smiled, trying to appear relaxed. However, he did not have much strength at the moment, so his smile appeared very weak. ¡°Brother!¡± Tears welled up in Ning Yao¡¯s eyes again. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Was the company¡¯s situation so bad? I¡¯m also a shareholder of the company, so how long are you going to hide it from me?¡± Ning Yao also owned a portion of the company¡¯s shares, but she had never been involved in the company¡¯s affairs because she had entrusted her share of the company to Ning Wen to be managed. After all, she did not know much about the company¡¯s operations or progress. The only thing she knew was that Ning Wen was able to rake in large profits for the company over the past few years.


    She used to think that Ning Wen had become snobbish, which was why he valued money so much and wanted her to marry Yang Yuan.


    At that time, she had shouted angrily at Ning Wen. ¡°What kind of brother betrays his sister¡¯s happiness? I really wished you weren¡¯t my brother! i¡¯ll give you all my shares, is that enough? I want to make my own decisions in my life. You go and earn your money, don¡¯t worry about me at all!¡±


    OV


    After that, she left the Ning family and never checked in on them or the company anymore.


    Little did she know that her brother¡¯s life was much tougher than she had imagined. He had to manage the company alone and deal with the shareholders.


    The Ning family¡¯s company was founded by their parents, so Ning Wen was the only one who really cared about the company as a whole, while the other shareholders only wanted to make money from it.


    If the company was in danger, they might be the first to sell their shares.


    Under such circumstances, Ning Wen had to take responsibility for everything. He did not want the company that his parents had left for him to disappear.


    Ning Wen patted Ning Yao¡¯s head and smiled gently. ¡°You¡¯re still in school. Why should I tell you?¡± Big Brother will take care of everything. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Ning Yao wiped away her tears, opened her handbag, and took out a credit card.

 Chapter 33 - The Person I Like

    Chapter 33 The Person I Like


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve saved up some money over the years. There¡¯s about 2.5 million here. Take it. It can help you a little.¡±


    Ning Wen looked at the card in Ning Yao¡¯s hand in shock and sat up anxiously. ¡°Where did you get so much money? What have you been doing all these years?¡±


    Ning Yao hurriedly helped Ning Wen lie down. ¡°I earned this money myself! I didn¡¯t do anything illegal. Is your sister that kind of person?¡±


    After Ning Yao¡¯s repeated assurance, Ning Wen finally believed her, but he didn¡¯t take Ning Yao¡¯s money.


    ¡°How can I take my sister¡¯s money? You¡¯ve suffered so much all these years. I remember you were so delicate when you were young. You only ate strawberry-flavored ice cream and wore a row of shiny hairpins on your hair before you went out every day. And you would get tired after walking for two minutes¡­ I couldn¡¯t protect you all these years. You must have no one to complain to, right?¡± Ning Wen blamed himself.


    Ning Yao pretended to be angry and glared at him. ¡°Can you stop talking about my embarrassing childhood? I was immature back then, but I¡¯ve been living a good life all these years. Look at me, I¡¯m fair, chubby, healthy, and never sick. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been suffering. You claim to have taken such good care of yourself but you don¡¯t even have a girlfriend even though you¡¯re almost 30!¡±


    Ning Wen knew that Ning Yao did not want him to blame himself.


    He looked at his sensible and well-behaved sister, and his heart ached.


    ¡°I¡¯ve actually regretted it all these years. I thought that marrying Yang Yuan was the best choice for you since he treated you so well, but I never thought that you would still be the little girl you were when you were young. You wouldn¡¯t eat the food you didn¡¯t like even if you were hungry. If mom and dad knew that I forced you like this, they would definitely blame me.¡± ¡°I never blamed you, Brother. So why would our parents do the same? I¡¯m just glad that you understand this. Besides, Yang Yuan is not as good as you think. Forget it, you won¡¯t believe me even if I tell you. Anyway, I won¡¯t marry him. Besides¡­¡±


    Clarence¡¯s face suddenly appeared in Ning Yao¡¯s mind.


    She seemed to have someone she liked now, so it was even more impossible for her to be with Yang Yuan.


    Ning Yao blushed at her thoughts and decided to keep them a secret from her brother.


    She needed to first determine whether she was attracted to Clarence in the heat of the moment or if she truly liked him.


    She couldn¡¯t treat this as true love just because he was rich and handsome. She wasn¡¯t a shallow person. ¡°And what?¡± Ning Wen looked at his sister, who was blushing, in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. The food is here, I¡¯ll go get it!¡±


    What a coincidence for the food to arrive right at that moment. Ning Yao did not hesitate to rush out to get it.


    After Ning Wen had finished eating and gone to bed, Ning Yao packed up the takeaway boxes, ready to go out and buy something to eat.


    She had lied to her brother, claiming that she had already had a barbeque dinner with her roommates before coming over, thus she did not need to eat dinner. Obviously she hadn¡¯t, which was why she had been worried during her brother¡¯s entire mealtime that her stomach would start grumbling.


    Fortunately, her stomach did not let her down. It only started growling when she walked out of the hospital.


    The dishes at Moonlight Lotus Pond were too expensive. She was willing to buy them for her brother, but she was reluctant to buy them for herself.


    Just as she was about to find a dumpling stall to eat a bowl, her phone suddenly rang.


    She took it out and saw that it was a call from Clarence.


    ¡°Is the family matter serious? Do you need my help?¡± Clarency pretended that he had no idea what had happened to Ning Yao¡¯s brother.


    Ning Yao felt a little touched. She was usually the kind of person who only reported the good news and not the bad news. Even if she was unhappy, she would always have a smile on her face.


    That was why people usually couldn¡¯t tell her true feelings.


    This also meant that no one would care about her emotions and try to comfort her.


    Other than her roommate, Song Ying, who would buy her a hot cup of red sugar ginger tea when she was on her period, no one else would take the initiative to care for her when she was feeling uncomfortable.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Thank you for your concern, Boss.¡± After thanking him, Ning Yao suddenly thought of something.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already arranged the contract. It¡¯s on my desk, ready for you to collect.¡± He didn¡¯t expect her to still remember the task he gave her.


    What a serious child.


    He chuckled. ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll get Martin to get it. Have you eaten?¡± Ning Yao had just taken a seat at the dumpling stand. ¡°Yes, I have.¡± ¡°What did you eat?¡±


    ¡°Pizza¡­ it was delicious!¡±


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t want to lie, but she was afraid Clarence would take her to an expensive dinner again if he knew she was eating dumplings.


    Although it was a bit narcissistic to think so, that was the kind of impression she had of Clarence.

 Chapter 34 - The Banquet

    Chapter 34 The Banquet


    Clarence was listening to Ning Yao¡¯s cheerful and relaxed voice on the phone as his eyes looked straight ahead.


    ¡°Really? How about we eat pizza together next time?¡± His voice remained gentle.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll treat you then. It¡¯s my thanks for taking care of me these past few days.¡± Ning Yao then reminded him to have dinner before she hung up the phone.


    The stall owner served Ning Yao a bowl of dumplings. Then, she picked up a pair of chopsticks and started eating.


    Although Ning Yao was now a rich lady with millions of yuan in savings, she usually did not order expensive food. It was not that she could not afford it, but she felt that it was unnecessary.


    That was how she was able to save up so much all these years.


    Xu Na would usually mock her for not being able to afford branded cosmetics and luxury bags, calling her a poor person behind her back.


    But Ning Yao didn¡¯t care about how others looked at her.


    She was the top scorer in her grade every year and won lots of debate and English competitions. No one could deny her excellence, even if she never showed off. After finishing the last dumpling in her bowl, Ning Yao wiped her mouth and left.


    A few hundred meters away from the dumpling stall was Clarence sitting in a car, quietly watching through his car window the girl finishing her dumplings on a bench.


    Even when Ning Yao had walked a distance, his eyes still followed her.


    The chauffeur had been waiting quietly, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that this was a relatively strange situation.


    Why did Mr. He suddenly ask him to drive here? And why had he been looking out the window for more than thirty minutes?


    The next day at work, Clarence asked Ning Yao about her family again, especially if she needed any additional leave of absence or his help and that she could just let him know.


    Ning Yao thanked him gratefully and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it.¡±


    Clarence¡¯s heart ached for the frail girl in front of him.


    He had found her, but he could only watch her suffer. He had no way to help her since he was simply her superior and nothing more.


    Clarence was looking at her deeply but she didn¡¯t notice the change in his expression. She was busy looking at the schedule for the afternoon and reminded him that he had a dinner party in the evening.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me,¡± said Clarency.


    Ning Yao was stunned for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    The dinner that Clarence was going to that night was of a very high level. It could be considered the most prestigious gathering in the city. She was just a secretary, so she wasn¡¯t actually qualified to attend it.


    However, it was also good to be able to gain some knowledge. After all, it was a class that Ning Yao could not reach with her own ability.


    SO


    d


    In the evening, Clarence brought Ning Yao to the entertainment company in advance. Ning Yao was wondering why they were there when a fashionably dressed man came in and greeted Clarence warmly.


    ¡°This is my personal styling consultant, Johnny. He¡¯s here to help you with your costume today.¡±


    No matter how casual a person¡¯s personality was, a person with a status like Clarence would still have to maintain his image when he went out.


    After all, he was Glory World¡¯s spokesperson, so it was not surprising that he had his own personal styling consultant.


    Ning Yao knew that it would cost a lot to hire a personal styling consultant. His pay might even be equivalent to one or two years of her salary.


    Moreover, judging from Johnny¡¯s temperament, he was likely to be a director or higher, so his asking price would only be higher.


    She suddenly became a little nervous. Clarence thought too highly of her. She was expecting to only accompany him as his secretary.


    But now, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    Johnny walked around Ning Yao and patted her little face exaggeratedly. ¡°Look at her. It¡¯s such a pity that she¡¯s not in a movie. How did she end up being this guy¡¯s secretary?¡±


    Ning Yao held the hem of her dress nervously. Behind her, Clarence said to Johnny in a cold voice, ¡°I asked you to come here to do something, so stop talking nonsense.¡±


    Johnny glanced at Clarence. ¡°This stinky man is rude. Come on little girl, follow me to the dressing room, I¡¯m here to dress you up today.¡±


    Johnny took Ning Yao to the dressing room and sat her in front of a mirror. She looked down at the cosmetics on the table which were all of international brands!


    Johnny picked up a bottle of soothing spray, sprayed half of the bottle on Ning Yao¡¯s face as if it cost nothing before gently patting her cheek to relax her skin.


    Then, Johnny applied her makeup with skillful techniques, including eye shadow, highlighter, blush, and lipstick. The entire process took about half an hour.


    Ning Yao felt a little uneasy when she thought that Clarence was still waiting for her outside. She couldn¡¯t believe that she had made Clarence wait almost half a day.

 Chapter 35 - Partners

    Chapter 35 Partners


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with making that stinky man wait a little longer? Relax, I¡¯ll spray some glitter powder on you. Tonight, you¡¯ll definitely make every man fall for you!¡±


    After that, he took a bottle of mist spray from the table and sprayed it on Ning Yao¡¯s hair, chest, and back.


    Ning Yao lowered her head and saw that her snow-white smooth arm was suddenly sparkling, as if she had just returned from a trip to the Milky Way.


    It was amazing. Ning Yao had never used this kind of thing before, so she was surprised for a moment.


    She looked at herself in the mirror again. Was that really her?


    She looked way too beautiful. No matter how modest she was, she had to admit that the woman in the mirror was very beautiful. It was the kind of beauty that shone.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s show you to Clarence.¡± Johnny held her by the arm and pulled open the dressing room¡¯s curtain.


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart raced. The moment the curtain was pulled open, she lowered her head, too shy to look at Clarence¡¯s expression. Johnny pulled her to stand in front of Clarence and said proudly, ¡°How is it? You always say that I¡¯m too gaudy when I style you. Hmph, I¡¯m best at dressing up girls. Now you know how good I am!¡±


    Clarence didn¡¯t even look at the talkative and boastful Johnny. His eyes had been fixed on Ning Yao ever since she appeared. He knew that she was beautiful, but he did not expect her to be able to dazzle.


    At this moment, she looked like a real princess.


    Beautiful, elegant, and pure.


    She looked up at herself and there seemed to be stars shining in her eyes.


    Clarence suddenly regretted bringing her to see Johnny


    If Johnny magnified her beauty so obviously, he was afraid that everyone would be staring at her.


    Her beauty should only be for him to see.


    He didn¡¯t want to share it with anyone at all.


    Although this thought was selfish, it was what he wanted.


    ¡°Dark green suits you.¡± Clarence finally let out a compliment. ¡°Do you know how to talk?¡± asked Johnny in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to compliment people? I can¡¯t take it anymore, he¡¯s really a d*mn straight man!¡±


    Clarence ignored the noisy Johnny and turned to Ning Yao. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He offered his arm to her.


    Ning Yao looked at the gentlemanly Clarence and hesitated for a moment. Then, she held his arm and left the store to get into his car.


    A few staff from the company saw them.


    ¡°Where did the company find this new lady? Isn¡¯t she too beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t she be famous once she shows her face? Why haven¡¯t I heard anything about her? Quickly ask around!¡±


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t hear the discussion behind her. She could hardly think as she held onto Clarence¡¯s arm.


    All she could hear was the sound of her beating heart.


    When they reached the car, Clarence opened the door like a gentleman and helped her hold up her dress.


    It was as if she was a noble princess, and he was her knight.


    Ning Yao felt like she was in a dream.


    After they got into the car, the two of them didn¡¯t talk much.


    Ning Yao was too nervous, and so was Clarence. But he didn¡¯t let it show. Instead, all one could see on him was his usual cold indifference.


    The banquet was held at a state banquet restaurant that was dedicated to receiving guests. However, this restaurant usually accepted other banquets.


    From this, one could see the standards of this place.


    When they got out of the car, there were already service staff in uniform at the door. Clarence held Ning Yao¡¯s hand before the two walked across the thick red carpet and took the elevator to the second floor.


    There were already quite a few people at the scene, everyone appearing noble and elegant. Anyone here could be a big shot in the city.


    A gathering at this level was no longer just for entertainment.


    Everyone had a clear goal and would only communicate with people who could bring them benefits.


    As soon as Clarence appeared, a few people immediately surrounded him.


    Ning Yao recognized one of them who often appeared on business programs on TV.


    But Clarence was not too enthusiastic to greet these people. After chatting briefly with a few of them, he led Ning Yao away.


    ¡°Clarence, you¡¯re finally here. This is¡­¡± A man in his 20s walked toward Clarence. He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white suit, looking like an elite.


    Clarence introduced the two of them.


    The man was Mei Yu, a business partner of Clarence.


    Ning Yao did not expect to see another senior executive of the company here. She smiled gently and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Mei,¡±


    Mei Yu sized up Ning Yao and shook her hand neither warmly nor coldly. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful, Miss Ning.¡±


    Although this sounded like a compliment to Ning Meng, she felt that Mei Yu did not seem to like her very much. In fact, he even seemed to hate her.

 Chapter 36 - Shes not a flower vase (1)

    Chapter 36 She¡¯s not a flower vase (1)


    Before she could think much about it, Mei Yu said to Clarence, ¡°Mr. Jin finally showed up, I¡¯m still a little nervous, remember to help me catch my words if I say something wrong later.¡±


    Clarence was not as excited as Mei Yu as he nodded lightly, then turned to Ning Yao and said, ¡°I have arranged a room for you. Go wait for me there. After the banquet is over, I will introduce you to a few more people.¡±


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t mind Clarence¡¯s arrangement, she knew that she had no right to speak on such an occasion. It¡¯s good that she can come here to show her face and let some people have an impression of herself.


    In the future, if she needed to interact with some big people, as long as she told them that she had participated in this banquet, the other party would not underestimate her.


    But Ning Yao didn¡¯t understand why Clarence would help her like this. Did he know her intentions?


    No, it couldn¡¯t be. She didn¡¯t even tell her brother about it, so how could Clarence know? He probably just wanted to help her broaden her horizons.


    Ning Yao went to the room that Clarence had arranged for her. It was as well-decorated as the Presidential Suite of a five-star hotel. She sat on the soft sofa and eventually fell asleep while smelling the faint fragrance of the high-end incense in the room.


    After Ning Yao left, Mei Yu took Clarence aside and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that woman?¡±


    Clarence frowned when he heardhow disrespectfully Mei Yu addressed Ning Yao. He glared at Mei Yu coldly and said, ¡°She is my secretary and she has a name. You can call her either Ning Yao or Vera. Got it?¡±


    Mei Yu¡¯s expression turned very unsightly. After a long time, he said, ¡°You¡¯re really into her? I don¡¯t understand, you¡¯re not the kind of person who would like flower vases.¡±


    Apart from her good looks, what was different about Ning Yao from other women to make Clarence bring her to this kind of occasion?


    ¡°She¡¯s not a flower vase. Mei Yu, be more polite.¡± Clarence¡¯s dark golden eyes emitted a sense of oppression and Mei Yu quickly lost his calm under his gaze.


    ¡°Fine. Well, I honestly couldn¡¯t care less who she is. But she is not the one for you. Mei Xue is returning to China soon. Do you know what I¡¯m saying?¡± Mei Yu spoke through gritted teeth.


    §±ces


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± said Clarence sarcastically with a laugh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me! Don¡¯t forget with whose favor you were able to get to where you are today. I hope you are not an ungrateful person.¡± Mei Yu was also a little angry.


    ¡°Ungrateful? I¡¯m very grateful for the help you and Mei Xue gave me back then, so I¡¯ve managed the company well for you. Every year, you¡¯ll get a share of the dividends and I¡¯ve never thought of increasing my share of the company. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Clarence was much taller than Mei Yu so he easily looked down at Mei Yu from above with a domineering aura.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Just as Mei Yu was about to refute, Clarence sarcastically said again, ¡°You guys helped me, but you don¡¯t have the right to control me. And the company only got to where it was today because of my hard work. Uncle Mei only valued my ability back then, don¡¯t worry. So let¡¯s not get into the nitty-gritty of being noble and grateful.¡±


    Clarence didn¡¯t want to discuss this matter with Mei Yu anymore. He slowly turned towards the entrance and coldly said, ¡°Mr. Jin is here.¡±


    A man in a traditional Tang suit walked in slowly.


    The man was about forty years old, but because he looked after his health well, he looked like he was only in his early thirties.


    His facial features were regular but his temperament was outstanding.


    Jin Qi has been keeping a low profile in recent years, usually not attending public events so many people thought he had retired.


    But the legend about Jin Qi has been circulating


    The Jin family was a big local family that had been around for two hundred years. But then the family fell apart and disappeared for a long time.


    It was only when Jin Qi appeared that he single-handedly restored the Jin clan to its former glory.


    Mei Yu walked up to Jin Qi and greeted him respectfully. ¡°Mr. Jin, let me introduce you. This is Clarence.¡±


    Jin Qi looked at Clarence, sizing him up.


    A lot of people had compared Jin Qi and Clarence as young men who had become famous. Moreover, they were both cold-blooded and business geniuses.


    Currently, it was Jin Qi¡¯s first time seeing Clarence.


    He didn¡¯t expect Clarence to be calmer than the rumors said. Even he couldn¡¯t see through him.


    The two shook hands. Clarence knew Jin Qi¡¯s status, but he did not try to please him.


    The three of them eventually found a private room to sit and chat in. Mei Yu poured wine for Jin Qi enthusiastically before handing the contract to him.


    ¡°Mr. Jin, don¡¯t worry, leave this to us, we will do it cleanly,¡± said Mei Yu as he patted his chest.


    The Jin family had been preparing to enter politics next year and Jin Qi¡¯s uncle was planning to be the next Vice Governor.


    Officials needed to have a clean record so some of the Jin family¡¯s less-than-righteous business must be handed over to another entity.

 Chapter 37 - Jin Qi

    Chapter 37 Jin Qi


    No one knew where Mei Yu had heard this news from, but he wanted to establish a relationship with the Jin family.


    Clarence did not agree with Mei Yu¡¯s decision. He felt that the Jin family was too powerful and could not be so easily controlled.


    However, Mei Yu said that Clarence was too timid and that he would not be able to achieve great things this way, so he directly made his own decision.


    Mei Yu and Mei Xue¡¯s combined shares were more than Clarence¡¯s, so the advantage was obvious. Since Mei Yu had already made up his mind, Clarence could only follow along. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the Jin family, but he didn¡¯t like to deal with such a big family.


    More schemes meant more rules.


    Jin Qi took a sip of the red wine. But instead of looking at the contract, he looked at Clarence. ¡°With the two heroes of Glory World around, I¡¯m naturally at ease. I¡¯ll leave Soaring Dragon to you. I¡¯ll inform customs and someone will contact you in a few days.¡±


    Mei Yu¡¯s cheeks flushed with excitement as he started to imagine how the Jin family¡¯s export business would be transferred to Glory World in the future.


    Although they would still be working for the Jin family and most of the money couldn¡¯t go into their own pockets, there were still many benefits in this arrangement.


    For example, when they helped the Jin family export goods, they would be able to tag some of their goods along as well. They could also benefit from the Jin family¡¯s contact list as well.


    Though the matter had been negotiated, there were still some details that needed to be sorted out. For these, Jin Qi asked Mei Yu to discuss with his subordinates as the former didn¡¯t bother so much about those.


    Despite their fruitful discussion, Mei Yu started feeling as if Jin Qi did not take the former seriously at all. Mei Yu felt treated as a subordinate.


    But even if Mei Yu thought so, he didn¡¯t dare to show his dissatisfaction to Jin Qi.


    Compared with Mei Yu¡¯s enthusiasm, Clarence¡¯s attitude towards Jin Qi was very cold. Apart from polite answers and conversations, he basically didn¡¯t take the initiative to say anything.


    Jin Qi kept watching Clarence.


    Jin Qi knew that the person who was truly difficult to deal with was this person.


    Mei Yu, that fellow, would be willing to work like a slave for a little benefit.


    But with Clarence, Jin Qi couldn¡¯t tell what he wanted and he didn¡¯t seem to be afraid of Jin Qi at all.


    After the discussion, Jin Qi stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk. You can talk to my assistant regarding anything else. I¡¯ll leave the next batch of goods to you. I hope you won¡¯t let me down.¡±


    Mei Yu nodded hurriedly as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Jin. We will do our best!¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯ Clarence frowned.


    Was Mei Yu stupid? Jin Qi¡¯s tone clearly treated him like a subordinate. There was no respect at all. Couldn¡¯t he tell?


    They were getting into a cooperative relationship with the Jin family¡¯s business, not as a subsidiary. If they were to lower themselves, they would suffer sooner or later.


    After Jin Qi left, Clarence wanted to leave as well, but Mei Yu pulled him back. ¡°Why are you leaving? I need you to help with some things. There are a few parts I didn¡¯t understand.¡±


    Clarence coldly looked at Mei Yu and said, ¡°You brag before others but come to me for help in the background?¡±.


    Mei Yu smiled and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. I¡¯ll handle the external relations while you¡¯re in charge of the rear. This is called perfect cooperation!¡±


    Clarence didn¡¯t want to talk to him, but he was afraid that Mei Yu would be duped by the Jin family, so he took the contract and read it carefully.


    The gentle smile on Jin Qi¡¯s face immediately disappeared as he walked out. He now looked like an extremely cold person.


    He was a little tired, so he took out the room card, glanced at it, and walked towards the elevator.


    A moment later, Jin Qi arrived on the 23rd floor. He took out his room card and swiped it twice, but there was no response.


    He was wondering if there was something wrong with the room card when the door suddenly opened.


    ¡°Mr. He¡­¡± The woman¡¯s sweet and soft voice sounded as though she had just woken up. She looked as lazy as a kitten.


    Jin Qi looked up and was stunned.


    The woman at the door was wearing a dark green tube-top dress. The tight dress perfectly highlighted her figure, and her skin was so white that it seemed to be glowing.


    Her face was even more alluring. Her lips were as fresh and full as rose petals, and her eyes were as bright as the most precious


    gems.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jin Qi looked up at the door number. ¡°I¡¯ve come to the wrong room.¡±


    He didn¡¯t sleep last night so his cloudy mind had brought him to the wrong floor today.


    Looking at the man with outstanding temperament in front of her, Ning Yao guessed that this should also be a big man, so she smiled kindly and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    A smile like hers made it seem like all the flowers in spring were blooming, and Jin Qi was stunned once more.


    Seeing that the man hadn¡¯t left yet, Ning Yao asked politely, ¡°Do you have anything else you need?¡±


    ¡°No, excuse me, goodbye.¡± Jin Qi turned and left.


    Ning Yao also closed the door. She went back to the sofa and sat down, wondering why Clarence hadn¡¯t come yet. She had just woken up after a long sleep.


    She wanted to send a message to him, but she was afraid that it would make her seem impatient, so she turned on her phone to browse the internet instead.


    Not long after, Ning Wen suddenly sent a message.

 Chapter 38 - So Sweet

    Chapter 38 So Sweet


    [Yaoyao, I heard that Yang Yuan was injured and hospitalized. I¡¯m not fully recovered yet, so I can¡¯t go over. Can you visit him in my stead]


    Ning Yao did not expect Clarence to be so brutal to beat Yang Yuan up so badly that he broke his bones and was hospitalized.


    But she didn¡¯t want to look at Yang Yuan, so she replied (I don¡¯t want to go.]


    Ning Wen felt helpless at Ning Yao¡¯s response.


    [I know you don¡¯t like him, but he was injured and hospitalized, it would be too unkind for us not to go and see him. Yang Yuan¡¯s grandfather had helped our parents back then, and when our parents died, it was Yang Yuan¡¯s grandfather who came forward to help us again so that our company would not be taken away by others.¡±


    [Alright, alright, I know. You don¡¯t have to repeat it to me. I¡¯ll go see him, okay? However, I¡¯ll leave right after. I don¡¯t want to talk to Yang Yuan.)


    Ning Yao recalled that Yang Yuan¡¯s grandfather had indeed helped the Ning family in the past, so she reluctantly agreed to visit Yang Yuan. [Alright, be nice, alright?]


    [Yes, yes.)


    Ning Yao sighed. Her mood turned sour at the thought of having to visit Yang Yuan.


    That guy was beaten up by Clarence for harassing her, and now she had to go see him. She might not be able to hold back and give him two more punches.


    Ning Yao was playing with her phone for a while longer when she heard someone knocking on the door. She ran over to open the door and finally, it was Clarence who was standing before her.


    There was a small box in his left hand and a drink in his right.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Clarence put down the box, and Ning Yao realized that there was a very delicate cake in there while the milk tea was in her favorite flavor ¨C strawberry cream.


    How did he know that she was hungry? How did he know that she liked strawberries?


    Ning Yao was both surprised and happy. ¡°Are these for me?¡±


    ¡°Who else, then?¡± Clarence looked at her with a smile as his eyes appeared gentle and loving


    Ning Yao took a bite of the cake. ¡°It¡¯s delicious! Mr. He, do you want to try some?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± After saying that, he bent down slightly and looked at Ning Yao, then slowly opened his mouth.


    Ning Yao was speechless. She didn¡¯t say she was going to feed him. There was a spoon next to him!


    She blushed when she saw that Clarence was waiting for her to feed him the cake. She took another spoon and put a small piece of cake into his mouth.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so sweet,¡± said Clarence as he squinted his eyes in enjoyment.


    It was so sweet that he felt it in his heart.


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t expect Clarence to like sweet things. She didn¡¯t even notice it before.


    After eating the cake, Ning Yao took two sips of milk tea and felt her waist tighten.


    After all, the dress was very tight. If she ate too much, she would have a belly, so she did not drink any more milk tea.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Clarence was assigning tasks to his subordinates in the group chat when he that Ning Yao had stopped drinking.


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just, it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t drink anymore.¡± Ning Yao was too embarrassed to say that it was because her dress was too tight, so she could only explain it this way.


    ¡°Oh, I see. Do girls have such a small appetite?¡± After saying that, Clarence stretched out his arm and took the milk tea that was in front of Ning Yao before taking a sip from it. ¡°It is a little too sweet. I¡¯ll get you something less sugary for you next time.¡±


    Clarence had acted so naturally that Ning Yao didn¡¯t know whether she should remind Clarence that she had already taken a sip out of the drink.


    After taking two more sips of the milk tea, Clarence returned to texting his subordinates more instructions. Ning Yao had no choice but to swallow her words.


    ¡®It must have been an accident. Forget it, I¡¯ll just pretend I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    From the corner of his eyes, he could tell that Ning Yao had been looking at the milk tea despite her lowered head.


    The corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but curve up.


    After Clarence finished making the necessary arrangements for work, there was another knock on the door.


    Just as Ning Yao was about to open the door, Clarence had already walked over and brought in a few men in suits.


    The men did not expect a woman in the room. They immediately misunderstood the relationship between Ning Yao and Clarence, feeling a little embarrassed.


    ¡°This is my secretary. From today on, she will be in charge of Glory World¡¯s independent project in Donghe Restaurant.¡±


    Donghe Restaurant?


    Ning Yao was stunned.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that the project that Clarence had shown me earlier?¡¯ Why was this project suddenly handed over to her?


    The few of them looked at each other. After a long time, one of them said awkwardly, ¡°Then, President Mei¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him. If you need anything in the future, you can just look for Ning Yao.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr. He.¡±


    After that, Clarence asked Ning Yao to form a group chat with these people and explained some details to them before letting them leave.


    She felt like she was in a dream when she heard that Clarence had suddenly put her as the person in charge of this project.

 Chapter 39 - The Wicked Mei Yu

    Chapter 39 The Wicked Mei Yu


    Clarence noticed Ning Yao¡¯s confused expression. He asked her to sit down and asked, ¡°You saw Mei Yu just now. What do you think of him?¡±


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t understand why Clarence would suddenly ask this. She was a little nervous and sat up straight. After thinking about it seriously, she answered carefully, ¡°I had a pretty good impression of him.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t possibly say that her other boss was bad, even though that boss wasn¡¯t her direct superior.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re embarrassed to call him stupid. ¡°You¡¯re one of my people, but he treated you like that. This shows that he¡¯s a scheming person and that he doesn¡¯t respect me that much.¡±


    Ning Yao¡¯s heart beat faster when she heard the words ¡®you¡¯re one of my people¡¯.


    Although there was nothing wrong with this sentence, it still felt a little strange.


    Clarence then briefly told Ning Yao about Mei Yu¡¯s cooperation with Jin Qi. After listening to the story, Ning Yao had a clear impression of Mei Yu.


    To sum it up in one sentence, he had ambition, but he didn¡¯t have the brains and courage to match it.


    ¡°Mei Yu has done a lot of projects in the past few years, but he had screwed up all of them. He was originally in charge of the Donghe project and invested 200 million yuan into it. But because he was scammed, he chose a piece of land with unclear property rights. Until now, the money hasn¡¯t been returned.¡±


    Clarence¡¯s tone was calm. There was no hatred or resentment towards Mei Yu, but Ning Yao could not help but feel aggrieved for him. It seemed that he had been cheated by Mei Yu many times over the years.


    ¡°The business partners are naturally unhappy with the problem and want to file a lawsuit against us. I can¡¯t ignore this matter, so I took out a sum of money that I had originally planned to use to invest in something else to block the hole and arranged for Lily to go over to solve the problem.¡±


    As Ning Yao listened, she thought to herself that Lily was indeed very capable. She couldn¡¯t help but think of herself. Since Clarence valued her so much, could she perform as well as Lily?


    ¡°Now that the problem has been solved, Mei Yu is starting to get smug again. He says that this project will definitely make money and that he was just tricked. In less than two months, he brought another person over and said that this person is very professional. He wants this person to be in charge of this project.¡±


    Ning Yao finally understood that Mei Yu had snatched the project away again.


    How could this person be so wicked?


    ¡°So, this new person Mr. Mei brought in is not good enough?¡± asked Ning Yao tentatively.


    ¡°If he was, would I let you take charge?¡± Clarence laughed. ¡°This person isn¡¯t very capable, but he¡¯s not stupid either. The disgusting thing is that this person is very cunning. He deliberately delays the progress of the project. Something that could have been completed in half a year has already been delayed for a year. If you urge him and scold him, he will give you some excuses and continue to delay.¡±


    Ning Yao was completely speechless.


    Why was the person Mei Yu found as annoying as he was?


    Still, she could understand this person¡¯s mentality.


    Sometimes, if one did something too easily, it would show that they were not that capable. So, in order to make people think that they were powerful, they had to exaggerate the difficulty of the task.


    By doing so, the person could improve his qualifications and show that he was quite incapable.


    CIC


    The reason he dared to do so was probably that he guessed that, like Mei Yu, Clarence did not know anything about the food and beverage industry. The F&B industry had been in a slump in recent years and he must have been using this excuse to stall progress. However, Ning Yao knew that Clarence was not someone who did not understand such things.


    She had been working for Clarence for a long time and she had never seen anyone who knew the business better than him.


    Not only did Clarenceunderstand the operation of capital, but he also understood the human heart. If a person like him was not a partner but an enemy, it would be terrible. Sometimes, the game of business depended on the human heart.


    Clarence tapped his fingers on his knee. ¡°That person must have thought that as long as he could fool Mei Yu, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to him and he could continue to be the project manager. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to let him continue to live comfortably, so I need you to help me.¡±


    Ning Yao had never thought that someone as powerful as Clarence would need her. Her heart was filled with a warm feeling and her blood was boiling.


    ¡°Mr. He, you¡¯re too kind. I¡¯m your subordinate. I¡¯ll do whatever you tell me to


    do.¡±

 Chapter 40 - Mistakes

    Chapter 40 Mistakes


    As he looked at Ning Yao and how obediently she was behaving, Clarence simply wanted to hold her in his arm and ask cheekily, ¡°Then, if I want to do this, you¡¯ll be OK with it too?¡±


    He coughed once to get rid of the wild thoughts in his mind.


    ¡°I wanted to take you to see some government officials. Recently, the government has sold a piece of land. With the government as a guarantor, it¡¯s easy to get loans from the bank. However, those people went out for drinks. We¡¯ll meet them and talk about this next time.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t bear to let Ning Yao drink with those people.


    Ning Yao nodded. ¡°Shall we go back first or¡­?¡±


    And she realized that she had said the wrong thing.


    It¡¯s already past nine o¡¯clock, where else could she go?


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Clarence stood up and suddenly smiled at her. ¡°Of course, if you want to go somewhere else¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too,¡±


    Ning Yao was so mesmerized by the man¡¯s smile that the first place she thought of was a hotel.


    The first time they were alone was also at a hotel.


    Ning Yao shook her head violently. What was she thinking?


    After sending Ning Yao back to school, Clarence watched her enter the school gate before leaving


    The news that Ning Yao had taken over the Donghe Restaurant project was kept a secret among the employees, and only a few senior executives knew about it.


    Even Martin did not know that she had another project. He would only ask her occasionally, ¡°Vera, why are you so busy now?¡±


    Ning Yao didn¡¯t even have much time to go to school now. Fortunately, most of her exams had already ended. She had nothing to do in school except for the accounting certificate exam at the end of the semester.


    As a newcomer, Ning Yao was still clueless about many things. As such, when she was not in the company, she usually went to negotiate with her partners, suppliers, and design teams. This was the first major project assigned to her by Clarence and she wanted to do her best.


    Seeing Ning Yao running around every day, her colleagues started to say, ¡°She should stop pretending to be so busy. She¡¯s just an intern, yet she¡¯s making herself look busier than the president. Did she think we¡¯d all be envious of her being valued by the president?¡±


    Although Lily was also busy after returning, she was at least much more relaxed than when she went on a business trip. The things at hand were not too difficult to handle either.


    So when she saw how busy Ning Yao was nowadays, she also started to have mixed feelings.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s just an intern. She might be a little flustered because she¡¯s afraid that she won¡¯t do her job well.¡± But despite her words, Lily still had a bad feeling.


    She had a feeling that Clarence might have already given Ning Yao some important tasks to do.


    When Lily went to the northwest, she claimed to be on sick leave, but it was actually because the project was very confidential.


    Clarence only entrusted her with the task because he trusted her.


    But now, she couldn¡¯t even see him more than a few times a day.


    Instead, it was this other woman who was the one who entered and left Clarence¡¯s office.


    But what could Lily do?


    In a blink of an eye, a month had passed and Ning Yao was finally almost done with her work.


    She had been worried that Mei Yu would not let the matter rest so easily after she had replaced his men.


    However, Mei Yu had never caused her any trouble.


    She guessed that it was because Mei Yu was busy with the collaboration with Jin Qi.


    She was now waiting for the design team¡¯s draft paper to come out, and then she would find the construction team to finish the restaurant¡¯s construction. After that, she would go to the advertising department or find an outsourcing company to do publicity.


    Now that she had some free time, she continued to work on her previous work and helped Martin share some of his stress.


    During this period, Martin had guessed that she had been too busy because Clarence had given her some other tasks.


    On this day, Ning Yao was tidying up her desk in her office. She was also arranging the documents that were waiting to be handled by Clarence according to their urgency.


    Suddenly, she received an internal call from the conference room.


    The female employee¡¯s calm and cold voice came through the phone. ¡°Come to the meeting room for a while, Secretary Ning.¡±


    Conference room?


    Ning Yao was stunned for a moment, then she got up and went to the meeting room upstairs.


    When she arrived at the meeting room, she realized that the entire table was full of people. Not only was Mei Yu there, but Lily was there too. Martin was standing next to Clarence, looking at her with a worried expression.


    One of the Vice Presidents threw a contract on the table the moment Ning Yao entered. ¡°Interns are so unreliable. How could you make such a stupid mistake? You¡¯re finished!¡±


    Ning Yao picked up the contract and flipped through it. When she reached the last page, she noticed that the decimal point of the contract amount was not right.


    Her heart almost stopped.


    The forty million yuan contract had become four hundred thousand because of this decimal point.


    She remembered this contract. She was in charge of it a few days ago, but at that time, she clearly¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re Ning Yao, right? This contract is worth over thirty million yuan. How are you going to pay the remainder?¡± An elderly high-ranking official looked at Ning Yao with a dark expression.


    The meeting room was very quiet. Everyone was looking at her as if they were looking at a drowning person.