"Poor little thing." Yao Chen pinched a cigarette with one hand and squeezed Han Yanyan's face with the other, speaking with a mix of affection and mockery. "From now on, stick with me, and I’ll help you become the master of the world."
His words shattered Han Yanyan's certainty that Yao Chen might be Ding Yao. She felt lost and confused.
Had she been wrong all along?
Now that she thought about it, they were very different. Ding Yao had gone to university and received a higher education. His management of the Thunder Strike Squad carried a certain corporate style, and he exuded an air of an elite.
Yao Chen was different. He was all about the streets, and many small details about him showed that he had clawed his way up from the bottom. He had little habits like swearing and playfully using his tongue to poke his cheek, revealing a mischievous edge.
Han Yanyan truly had no evidence to prove that Yao Chen was Ding Yao. The thought came to her simply because of certain moments of intimacy that resonated with her, leaving her startled. But when it came to presenting evidence, it was hard to substantiate.
If he wasn't Ding Yao...
Suddenly, Han Yanyan lost interest, as if a fire inside her had sputtered out. She smiled weakly, resting her head on Yao Chen’s chest, growing too lazy to say more.
Yao Chen had let Han Yanyan move into his place. He had a large study, and his bedroom had a small study attached, which he had given to Han Yanyan for her own use, providing her with a space to learn independently.
One could say he was quite considerate.
Han Yanyan was his legitimate girlfriend, the first serious one. The previous women he had might only count as casual flings. The key difference was that when he slept with them, it was merely for that purpose. But when he was with Han Yanyan, it was because he wanted her to be with him in a deeper way.
Sometimes Yao Chen would watch her, contemplating the difference between the two situations.
In the end, he deduced that it was simply because he was getting old. Once a person starts aging, even if they were once wild, they begin to crave stability. The most crucial aspect of this desire is marriage.
Yao Chen’s decision to seek a proper girlfriend stemmed from when Han Yanyan had told him very seriously that she could not accept a casual relationship. A thought popped into his mind—she was someone he could marry.
After moving in together, Yao Chen got to experience the dullness of Han Yanyan's life up close.
"Don’t you feel bored?" he asked her, puzzled.
To him, her life seemed unbearably monotonous.
Since becoming his girlfriend, Han Yanyan had stopped working. As her boyfriend, Yao Chen would never let her worry about money. On the day she moved in, he gave her a card and informed her, “There’s cash in the safe in the small study.”
In the small study, there was a safe, and Yao Chen shared the password with her. Han Yanyan opened it without hesitation, revealing hundreds of thousands in cash.
Only cash.
Han Yanyan understood she needed patience. The first step in her plan to win over Yao Chen had begun. The things she wished to gain would require first earning his trust.
No need to rush; in this world, time was probably the least important thing. Even if she grew old here, in the next life she could emerge as a youthful beauty again, right?
As long as Leo didn’t pop up to rush her.
Because of her understanding of time, Han Yanyan lived the life she desired with ease.
The "student Han Yanyan" didn't possess the fierce physical abilities of "post-apocalyptic Han Yanyan," nor did she have the elite education or business experience of "Miss Han." But "student Han Yanyan," who hadn’t yet left school, was quick-witted and a true academic overachiever.
She had often thought about recharging her knowledge and learning a few new things, yet life, along with her own laziness, always led to procrastination, dragging it off to tomorrow, and then the day after that.
Now, devoid of life's worries, with plenty of time, energy, and a clear mind, this was simply perfect.
"No way," Han Yanyan replied, sitting at her desk twirling a pen. "I just got a gym membership, and I’ll be making time to exercise."
Her desk was covered with books piled on top of each other. She rested her chin on one hand while spinning the pen with the other. Since moving here, she had bought several sets of loungewear, all in serene, light colors—clean and comfortable but not revealing.
She exuded an air of cleanliness and comfort.
Having a woman like her around made the whole house feel cozier.
However, Han Yanyan spent her days indoors without going out or socializing, leading to a life that was dull to the extreme. Yao Chen couldn’t grasp how she could bear this existence. He was a man who thrived on excitement, accustomed to the lively bustle of nightlife.
Han Yanyan's life was too quiet. Yao Chen felt this wouldn’t do, so he decided to take her out.
Being with Yao Chen inevitably involved interacting with his friends, the San Hu. Yao Chen soon realized that Han Yanyan didn’t fit in with this group of brothers.
After all, Han Yanyan wasn’t like Emily or Ying Ying; she couldn’t just sit on the legs of these guys, sharing drinks and playfully teasing them. From her very demeanor, she was clearly out of their league.
Because Yao Chen had explained that Han Yanyan was his “serious” girlfriend, the brothers unhesitatingly called her “sister-in-law.” Han Yanyan wouldn’t react coldly, responding politely and gently, yet Yao Chen could feel a sense of distance beneath her warm demeanor.
San Hu and his friends, accustomed to mixing with charming women, rarely understood the concept of respecting a woman. They would make crude jokes without consideration, oblivious to the fact that Han Yanyan was present. Likewise, they would never avoid using vulgar terms just because she was around.
Watching Han Yanyan sip her drink with downcast eyes, her expression distant, made Yao Chen realize he had made a mistake.
It turned out, when you had a serious girlfriend, you wouldn’t want her to feel awkward in the company of crude men.
Having a respectable girlfriend mixed in with unsavory types, not only made her uncomfortable, but he felt subtly uneasy inside too.
Later, he told Han Yanyan, "If you don’t like hanging out with San Hu and his crew, you don’t have to go anymore."
Part of him didn’t want to see her relieved expression. If she had that look, it meant she truly looked down on San Hu and his friends. And whether he admitted it or not, he shared the same background as them.
He disliked the thought of Han Yanyan looking down on him.
Fortunately, Han Yanyan didn’t share such thoughts. She shrugged casually, as if it were nothing significant, causing Yao Chen to breathe a sigh of relief.
"What are you staring at so seriously?" He approached her desk and flipped through a few books, instantly feeling a headache coming on.
Yao Chen was truly a poor student.
Han Yanyan couldn’t help but giggle.
Behind the scenes, San Hu teased Han Yanyan, calling her "boring and dull," and when Yao Chen found out, he kicked him twice. But Yao Chen wouldn’t explain; when Han Yanyan was alone with him, she was anything but dull— the two words didn’t even remotely apply to her.
In bed, she could be wild in ways that only he could tame.
"It’s not that I want you to play with them,” Yao Chen said, pulling Han Yanyan close to him in the big armchair. “I just worry that you spend all day at home reading, and you might get bored."
"But if I were living at school, at this time, I’d be in the library studying," Han Yanyan explained, poking his forehead with her delicate finger. "Silly, I’m a student. My classmates who live at school are indoors from morning to night; it’s all about studying. What else would we be doing except studying? Living a life like yours full of noise and distractions?"
That made sense. Yao Chen understood now.
Besides, knowing that Han Yanyan’s honest nature kept her at home was quite reassuring.
This enchanting girl didn’t flaunt herself and seemed like an excellent lady. But if she wanted to attract men, she could easily do so. The fact that she willingly chose to focus on her studies and stay home was perfectly fine with him.
Just as he was mulling this over, Han Yanyan suddenly asked, “Yao Chen, if we broke up, would you give me a generous— really generous, breakup fee?” She emphasized the "generous" part.
Yao Chen: "..."
Yao Chen felt a little exhausted.
He'd been with girls as young as seventeen and had never felt a generation gap. Yet, with Han Yanyan's sudden, erratic thinking, he couldn’t help but question himself— "Am I really getting old?" He just couldn’t keep up!
"What are you thinking?" He pinched both sides of her face. "Don't you want us to have something good?"
Han Yanyan freed her face and gently rubbed it, sighing, "I’m a bit worried."
Yao Chen asked, “Worried about what?”
“I’m being spoiled by you,” Han Yanyan replied. “You once said, when you see people indulging in flaunting their wealth, slowly, they lose their clarity of thought. Ever since I’ve been with you, I wear designer clothes, eat well, and drink well. I feel like I can't return to my old self anymore. So, I worry that eventually, I too will lose my clarity. Therefore, if we were to break up, I hope you’d provide me with a hefty— very hefty, breakup fee so I can maintain my lifestyle without falling into an embarrassing state due to money and vanity."
She exaggeratedly gestured with her hands while saying "hefty."
Yet her gaze was clear, without even an ounce of greed.
Yao Chen smacked his lips, saying, "You seem to be very clear-headed, but…"
He lifted her onto the desk, unzipping his belt with a devilish grin. "If you really want it, I can give you two hundred million right now…"
The rogue was negotiating a project worth two hundred million while smoothing things over with Han Yanyan on the desk. Yet he thought, spoiling her would make her rely on him, and that wasn’t a bad plan at all.
After their physical activities finished, Yao Chen held Han Yanyan tightly, both squeezed into the big armchair. Only then did she discuss something serious with him.
"Actually, we have school recruitment coming up. My classmates are all starting to look for jobs,” she informed him. “I’m thinking that if you’re willing to support me, I’ll hold off on job hunting and instead focus on taking the entrance exam for graduate school."
Yao Chen immediately showed his support: "Go for it. Don’t waste time worrying; I’ll definitely support you. Just concentrate on your studies— why would my woman need to work?"
Even though he was truly a poor student himself, he was very supportive of Han Yanyan continuing her education. "Just focus on your studies and keep going until you earn your doctorate."
Han Yanyan knew she had a good grasp of Yao Chen's character.
Yao Chen was a very vigilant man, always guarded. After months of being together, Han Yanyan had not gleaned a single useful piece of information from him. In her plan to win over Yao Chen, she was prepared for a long battle.
First of all, she needed to enhance her own value, portraying herself as a wise goddess, an unattainable flower.