Night fell.

At the Grand Hotel, a man and a woman sat across from each other in the restaurant. The man was Yan Guishan, and the woman was Tang Bingyun. Yan Guishan had chosen the place. Having recently arrived in Qingling City, he wasn’t familiar with the good restaurants. However, after visiting the Grand Hotel the previous night, he found the environment pleasant and upscale, so he decided on this location.

“This is a five-star hotel, and the expenses aren’t low. Can you afford the bill later?” Tang Bingyun’s tone was very cold, even carrying a hint of mockery. Except in front of Wang Haoran, Tang Bingyun always wore a cold, indifferent expression towards others.

“Miss Tang, you can rest assured. I’ve been abroad for a long time and have earned some money. While I wouldn’t claim to be a billionaire, I do have several billion,” Yan Guishan replied with a charming smile. He habitually took out a cigarette but quickly realized that the person in front of him wasn’t his prey but his future wife. Wanting to be considerate of her feelings, he put the cigarette away.

“What did you do abroad to earn so much?” Tang Bingyun asked casually.

“I started my own business,” Yan Guishan replied nonchalantly. This was indeed true. He had established a mercenary group abroad, recruited members, and took on various missions, earning substantial commissions upon completion. That’s how he made those billions.

Tang Bingyun wasn’t interested in Yan Guishan. Seeing that he didn’t elaborate, she naturally didn’t press further.

“Let’s order,” Yan Guishan suggested.

“No rush, someone else hasn’t arrived yet,” Tang Bingyun replied.

“Isn’t it just you and me?” Yan Guishan was a bit surprised.

“I agreed to have dinner with you, but did I ever say it would be just the two of us? If you’re unwilling, we can cancel the dinner,” Tang Bingyun said, picking up her bag as if to leave.

“Having more people makes it lively,” Yan Guishan, though displeased with the presence of others, had no choice but to agree.

As they spoke, Wang Haoran arrived fashionably late and walked over.

“Bingyun,” Wang Haoran greeted Tang Bingyun warmly.

Tang Bingyun felt a sudden warmth in her heart. Finally, he wasn’t calling her “Aunt Tang,” a term she disliked.

“Haoran, sit next to me,” Tang Bingyun said, her icy demeanor melting into a smile as she pulled Wang Haoran to sit beside her. Wang Haoran had vaguely mentioned pretending to be a couple with her, so Tang Bingyun naturally acted more intimately.

“What is your relationship?” Yan Guishan asked, squinting his eyes.

“Can’t you tell?” Tang Bingyun tightened her grip on Wang Haoran’s hand.

“I heard him call you Aunt Tang at noon,” Yan Guishan pointed out.

“That’s just a term. I’m not much older than him. We’ve been together for a year or two, but due to societal views, we only date privately. Even my grandfather doesn’t know,” Tang Bingyun fabricated.

“He doesn’t even look 20. Do you think I’d believe that? Even if you needed a shield, you didn’t have to find someone so young. Are you looking down on me?” Yan Guishan sneered slightly.

“You don’t believe it?” Wang Haoran suddenly spoke.

“You’re just a kid who hasn’t even grown up yet. You should go back to school…”

Before Yan Guishan could finish, Wang Haoran suddenly kissed Tang Bingyun’s fair cheek, catching everyone off guard.

Yan Guishan was left speechless, his face filled with disbelief. Tang Bingyun was stunned. Fortunately, Wang Haoran had warned her in advance to cooperate as needed. She was caught in a dilemma and could only shyly scold Wang Haoran:

“There are others here, don’t do that.”

“He doesn’t believe we’re a couple, so I had to prove it,” Wang Haoran said deliberately, then turned to Yan Guishan, “Do you believe it now?”

Yan Guishan’s brows furrowed, a flash of anger in his eyes, but he remained outwardly calm. Wang Haoran was amazed. Despite being a soldier king, Yan Guishan’s mental fortitude was impressive.

“It seems you still don’t believe it. Watch closely,” Wang Haoran said, embracing Tang Bingyun and kissing her passionately.

Tang Bingyun was taken aback. She wanted to push Wang Haoran away, but doing so would expose their act. Thus, she could only passively cooperate with Wang Haoran. However, Tang Bingyun had always had feelings for Wang Haoran, so she didn’t resist his actions and even found herself getting lost in the moment.

For a while, Tang Bingyun almost forgot where she was.

Crack.

A porcelain cup shattered into pieces under the grip of a calloused hand.

[Ding, the host has caused the protagonist Yan Guishan’s mindset to become unbalanced, earning 400 villain points. Yan Guishan’s protagonist halo -20, host’s villain halo +20!]

“Enough!” Yan Guishan couldn’t hold back any longer.

Wang Haoran pretended not to hear.

Creak.

The sturdy table groaned under Yan Guishan’s palm.

[Ding, the host has caused the protagonist Yan Guishan’s mindset to become unbalanced, earning 400 villain points. Yan Guishan’s protagonist halo -20, host’s villain halo +20!]

Crack.

The table began to crack.

[Ding, the host has caused the protagonist Yan Guishan’s mindset to become unbalanced, earning 400 villain points. Yan Guishan’s protagonist halo -20, host’s villain halo +20!]

As the saying goes, “Three strikes and you’re out.” Wang Haoran feared Yan Guishan might explode like Xiao Yifeng, leaving nothing to play with. Reluctantly, he released Tang Bingyun.

Wool must be gathered slowly; you can’t shear the sheep all at once. Slow and steady wins the race.

Tang Bingyun gasped for breath, her heart racing, her cheeks burning. She glanced at Wang Haoran with a hint of annoyance. She had no experience and was entirely passive, guided by Wang Haoran. At twenty-three, she was still a novice, while this mischievous boy, five years her junior, was quite experienced. He must have had many relationships.

Yan Guishan looked at Tang Bingyun with disappointment and said, “I know you’re unhappy with this marriage, but you didn’t have to sacrifice yourself by finding such a brat to act with you.”

Tang Bingyun was momentarily surprised that Yan Guishan saw through her, but she stubbornly maintained her facade, “I’ve really been with him for a long time. Believe it or not.”

“I’m not a fool. Although you cooperated with him just now, your actions were very awkward. It was obvious it was your first time,” Yan Guishan observed.

Wang Haoran remained outwardly calm but thought to himself, this soldier king is quite the veteran to notice that. If only he had rehearsed with Tang Bingyun beforehand.