Chapter 56.2

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Thirty minutes later. Qiao Ziman, who had been waiting with eager anticipation, was now starting to feel… cold.

And impatient.

She grabbed her phone, about to call Chi Yin, when a series of heavy footsteps echoed from outside the room. Then, the door swung open.

“You took forever! So slow!” Qiao Ziman huffed as she turned her head—only to see Chi Yin standing there, her face flushed bright red.

“What—what happened to you? Did you get the condoms?”

Without a word, Chi Yin pulled out a deformed, nearly crushed box from behind her and tossed it over. There was a distinct edge of frustration in her voice.

“Qiao Ziman. You knew your mom was nosy, didn’t you? She just trapped me in conversation for half an hour. I swear, she was this close to handing me an actual erotic painting.”

Qiao Ziman let out a guilty little laugh. But before she could come up with an excuse, Chi Yin’s expression turned dark.

“You did say I could do whatever I wanted, didn’t you?”

With a loud bang, she swung the door shut. Then she turned, eyes glinting with a deep, unreadable intensity—just like that night she had been drinking.

Qiao Ziman’s heartbeat sped up.

Chi Yin lunged, pushing her down, reaching for the light switch.

Qiao Ziman caught her wrist, voice low, almost pleading. “Don’t—don’t turn it off.”

===

After the person beside her had drifted into deep sleep, Qiao Ziman slowly, painstakingly, crawled out of bed, her body aching with exhaustion. She switched on a small nightlight and settled herself at the desk. Opening her notebook, she began recording her post-battle thoughts.

Yin Yin has improved again. That means I need to level up too. I have to surprise her one day.

After jotting down her notes, she pulled up a few study materials and earnestly began reviewing them. An hour later, she closed her laptop, deep in thought. Then, she made a plan. She set two alarms for herself—one during her lunch break and one before bed. At each time slot, she would dedicate a full hour. Specifically for… studying.

With everything in place, Qiao Ziman switched off the nightlight and carefully climbed back into bed, burrowing into Chi Yin’s arms. Peacefully, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Qiao Ziman woke up earlier than Chi Yin, for once. She quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the wardrobe, rummaging through their clothes.

Chi Yin was woken by the rustling sounds. Still groggy, she cracked her eyes open, her mind momentarily dazed as she gazed at the figure before her. She rubbed her eyes, glanced at the time, then blinked in disbelief.

“Baby, you actually woke up half an hour early?” Her voice carried genuine shock. “Is the sun rising from the west today?”

Qiao Ziman turned around and clicked her tongue. “What kind of comment is that?”

She picked up a neatly folded set of clothes and placed them beside Chi Yin. “You’re wearing this today.”

Chi Yin propped herself up, amusement glinting in her eyes. “Looks like the sun is rising from the west. You’re picking out clothes for me?”

Qiao Ziman corrected her immediately. “Not just for you. For us.“

She reached out, gently cupping Chi Yin’s chin, her thumb stroking the soft, delicate skin. With a smirk, she said, “We’re wearing matching outfits today. Hmph. This way, my little vixen won’t go around unknowingly seducing people.”

Chi Yin chuckled, her agreement coming without hesitation. “Sounds perfect. I’d love nothing more.”

Their outfits were identical—white hoodies featuring a cartoon bear, slim-fit jeans, and matching white Converse sneakers. Even the socks had the same tiny strawberry pattern.

When Chi Yin finished changing, Qiao Ziman took a step back to admire her. 

Her girlfriend could make anything look like high fashion, the little seductress. Feeling a little miffed, Qiao Ziman suddenly leaned in and stole a kiss, pressing her lips firmly against Chi Yin’s. “Sealed with a stamp. You’re officially mine.”

Back at the office, Qiao Ziman settled into her usual work routine, keeping in mind what Chi Yin had told her—avoid meeting Elvis unless absolutely necessary, and if they did cross paths, don’t engage in conflict. Surprisingly, Elvis didn’t go out of his way to bother her.

But someone else did.

That person was none other than Chi Qilan.

Last night, Chi Yin had warned her—Chi Qilan will try to come between us.

But Qiao Ziman never expected that day to come so soon.

– Lunch Break –

Qiao Ziman sat at her desk, fully immersed in her study session—watching educational films while occasionally jotting down notes. When her alarm finally chimed, signaling the end of her study time, she stretched her fingers and looked up—only to find Chi Qilan standing before her.

How long has she been here?

Panic surged in her chest, and instinctively, she almost shot to her feet. But then, her eyes flicked to the person standing beside Chi Qilan—Elvis.

Her fingers clenched, nails digging into the palm of her hand as she forced herself to stay calm.

No losing composure. No losing ground.

A practiced, professional smile stretched across her lips. “President Chi, hello. Is there something I can help you with?”

Chi Qilan’s face remained unreadable. Her gaze, however, flicked toward the phone propped up on Qiao Ziman’s desk, its screen still displaying the paused video. Qiao Ziman steadied herself and quickly explained, “Apologies, I was too focused on studying just now and didn’t notice you. I got a little carried away with my professional development.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but Chi Qilan didn’t press the matter. Instead, she gave a small nod.

“Come with me, Qiao Ziman. I have something to discuss with you.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked ahead, Elvis following beside her. Qiao Ziman had no choice but to follow behind.

As they made their way toward the office, she couldn’t stop her mind from spinning. What does Chi Qilan want to talk about? 

Suddenly, an absurd scene from a cliché TV drama flashed through her head. A domineering, wealthy mother-in-law vs. the poor, struggling girlfriend.

…Shit. 

This ridiculous drama is actually happening to me?

Turns out, those cliché TV plots really do come from real life. Qiao Ziman couldn’t help but feel a little… excited.

As the office door shut behind them, pulling Qiao Ziman out of her wandering thoughts.

Chi Qilan strode over to the large executive chair and sat down with an imposing air.

“I’ll be straightforward,” she said coolly. “You and Yin Yin are not suitable for each other.”

Oh. This script is way too familiar.

Next, she’s probably going to say, ‘I don’t approve of your relationship. Here’s XX amount—leave my daughter.’

Just as Qiao Ziman was lost in her own ridiculous thoughts, Chi Qilan continued, “You’re a good girl. Leave my daughter, and I’ll give you a million as compensation.”

Qiao Ziman: “!!!”

Holy shit. This is straight-up TV drama level dog-blood nonsense. And so tacky!

—Wait a minute.

“A million?” Qiao Ziman asked, raising an eyebrow. That’s it?

Don’t those TV dramas always start at five million? Why am I only worth a million?!

She felt genuinely offended.