During the argument between the two, the sound of the door opening and closing echoed.

Su Lang had returned.

“What are you all talking about?” Su Lang asked curiously when he saw the family, each with flushed faces, seemingly in a quarrel.

“Nothing… nothing,” Yang Jingwan replied, her gaze evasive.

“Oh, so our family’s big shot is back,” Li Manli said sarcastically. “Didn’t you say you could invite Ma Hongsheng over? Where is he now?”

Hearing this, a hint of frustration appeared on Su Lang’s face. He replied calmly, “I went to the hospital to check, but Ma Hongsheng hasn’t woken up yet, so I can’t bring him over for now.”

[Ding! The host’s manipulation behind the scenes has disrupted the protagonist Su Lang’s chance to show off to the female lead Yang Jingwan’s family, earning 300 villain points. Su Lang’s protagonist halo -15, host’s villain halo +15!]

“You always have excuses, lying through your teeth,” Li Manli scoffed.

“Mom, I’ll go again tomorrow. I’ll definitely help with Dad’s project,” Su Lang assured.

“Stop bragging and go cook. We’re all hungry!” Li Manli urged harshly.

Seeing Li Manli’s expression, Su Lang didn’t bother to argue and headed straight to the kitchen to cook.

He thought that once Ma Hongsheng woke up, he could introduce some connections and secure the project, proving Li Manli wrong. With this in mind, Su Lang quietly went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

…

“Jingwan, you see, Su Lang is not only useless but also a braggart,” Li Manli whispered to her daughter. “You should think about your future.”

“If your dad’s construction team can’t get any work, it might have to disband. Your dad borrowed a lot of money, and if he can’t secure a project, we might have to sell this apartment to pay off debts. If you don’t want to end up on the streets, consider your mom’s advice.”

After speaking, Li Manli fell silent, hoping her daughter would think quietly.

Yang Jingwan remained silent, her mind in turmoil.

Unknowingly, Su Lang had already finished cooking.

The family began to eat.

During the meal, Yang Jingwan was absent-minded, taking only a few bites before stopping.

Returning to her room, she closed the door.

Yang Jingwan finally picked up her phone, found Wang Haoran’s number, and prepared to call.

“Wife?” Su Lang’s voice came from outside the door.

Startled, Yang Jingwan dropped her phone.

She hurriedly picked it up and opened the door, impatiently asking, “Can’t you knock more quietly? What do you want?”

“I noticed you didn’t have much of an appetite. Are you feeling unwell?” Su Lang asked tenderly.

“I’m just dieting, not hungry,” Yang Jingwan made up an excuse.

“Wife, your figure is already perfect. You don’t need to diet. You should eat more,” Su Lang advised earnestly.

“You’re so annoying. I said I’m not eating,” Yang Jingwan said irritably, wanting to get rid of Su Lang. “I’m going to take a shower now. Aren’t you leaving?”

“I’ll leave right away,” Su Lang nodded and obediently went downstairs.

He wasn’t angry about it.

Because he wanted to give her the greatest tolerance and love in the world.

…

When he was twelve, she was eight.

He was homeless, on the brink of starvation.

Her kindness gave him a meal.

He survived.

Twelve years later, he became a god of war, renowned and powerful.

Yet, at this peak moment, he chose to retire.

He never forgot the kindness of that meal.

He returned.

He came back to find her.

Although she didn’t remember giving a bowl of rice to a little beggar, he remembered.

He found her.

And had one of his subordinates pretend to be a fortune-teller to deceive Yang Jingwan’s parents, leading her to marry him.

Selfish?

No.

In his view, he was the best man in the world.

Marrying him would only bring her happiness, her best destiny.

He wanted to protect her, for a lifetime.

However, he didn’t want to reveal his identity.

Because he didn’t want their relationship to be tainted by interests.

He desired pure love.

Thus, he wanted to win her love as an ordinary person.

Over the past year, Su Lang endured much from the Yang family, but he silently bore it, hiding his true self.

He wanted to touch Yang Jingwan with his sincerity.

However, recently, Yang Tai’s business encountered some issues, and with Li Manli’s sarcasm, Su Lang decided to break his rule and use his connections to help Yang Tai.

Hence, the banquet incident.

But unexpectedly, before he could meet Ma Hongsheng, Ma Hongsheng suddenly fainted.

But that didn’t matter.

It was just a matter of waiting a bit longer.

…

After Su Lang left, Yang Jingwan immediately dialed Wang Haoran’s number.

However, after a few rings, the call was disconnected.

Yang Jingwan didn’t dare to call again.

She had heard that those rich young masters had very active nightlife.

Wang Haoran was probably no exception, likely busy at this hour.

Temporarily pushing aside these complicated thoughts, Yang Jingwan picked up her clothes and went to the bathroom to shower.

Looking at her nearly perfect reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help but sigh.

Why, with such good conditions, was she so unfortunate to marry someone like Su Lang?

After her shower, Yang Jingwan returned to bed, playing with her phone while waiting for Wang Haoran’s call.

Time passed quietly, and Yang Jingwan grew sleepy.

Just then, her phone suddenly vibrated.

Yang Jingwan perked up and saw that it was indeed Wang Haoran calling.

However, the time gap was too long, wasn’t it?

Was young master Wang doing it for so long? That’s too exaggerated…

Ugh, what am I thinking?

Yang Jingwan quickly dismissed the strange thoughts from her mind and answered the call.

“So quick to call me?” Wang Haoran’s voice carried a meaningful tone.

Feeling embarrassed, Yang Jingwan took a deep breath and shamelessly said, “Didn’t you say today that if I needed help, I could find you? My dad has a construction team and wants to take on a project. Do you have any connections you could introduce?”

“Of course, I do, but it’s inconvenient to talk over the phone. Let’s meet up,” Wang Haoran suggested.

Hearing this, Yang Jingwan hesitated and tentatively asked, “Where should we meet?”

She had already decided that if Wang Haoran chose a hotel or similar place, she wouldn’t go.

“Do you know where Shuizhe High School is? Let’s meet there at 1 PM tomorrow,” Wang Haoran replied.

Hearing Wang Haoran’s suggestion, Yang Jingwan’s suspicions eased significantly, and she agreed immediately.

“Alright, it’s settled then. See you tomorrow.”