My girlfriend is from the future!

Chapter 602 The Unfinished Sutra (Part 4)
The two exchanged barbs, their words sharp and witty, yet they also shared a morbid understanding and attraction that no one else could comprehend. It was as if they were sharing a dark joke that only they could understand, and everyone else was merely a prop or a backdrop in this joke.

He Tianran pulled Yu Naoqiu's hand away from his tie, and finally seemed to remember that there was someone else present. He waved his hand casually, as if dismissing an insignificant person:

"Teacher Lingye, please go outside and wait for me. Please go over the things I need to tell you in your mind beforehand. We'll go together in a bit."

Bai Lingye felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly picked up her coat from the ground and fled this place of trouble in a panic.

"Are you going to continue later?"

Yu Naoqiu listened to the female celebrity's footsteps as she ran away, her eyes never leaving the man. Her tone now carried a hint of warning...

He Tianran, however, wouldn't fall for her act.

"Yes, at the Bulgari Hotel tonight."

"I'm here to invite you to dinner tonight."

"That's perfect. Eating with you and sleeping with her won't interfere with each other. Or are you willing to do both?"

The man casually straightened his disheveled clothes, completely ignoring Yu Naoqiu's increasingly gloomy expression. He only heard the woman say, word by word, through gritted teeth:

"He Tianran, what do you take me for?"

"Oh, you don't like this, right? Fine, I apologize. Let's skip dinner tonight, it's not like we're missing out on one meal."

"..."

Unlike the usual heated arguments between men and women, Yu Naoqiu remained silent. Seeing this, He Tianran took out another cigar, offering a half-hearted apology. He had just cut off the cap and put the cigar in his mouth when he realized he was out of matches. He patted his pockets but found nothing to light it. Just as he was feeling helpless, a flame suddenly appeared in front of him.

Yu Naoqiu lit the lighter, and in her other hand, she was also holding a cigarette.

Two heads drew close, and flames danced between them.

The cigar and cigarette were lit one after the other, and the bluish-white smoke rose up, lingering distinctly for a moment before reluctantly merging together, like the strange atmosphere between the two people, which was both repulsive and attractive.

Yu Naoqiu gently exhaled a string of smoke rings, his posture returning to its elegant state, as if the angry question he had just uttered had never happened.

Controlling emotions is an essential skill for people like them.

“Bulgari?” she suddenly spoke, her tone as calm as if discussing the weather. “The penthouse suite has a great view.”

"Looks like you've finally regained some of your senses..."

He Tianran took a deep drag on his cigar, letting the thick smoke numb his senses. Through the hazy smoke, he looked at Yu Naoqiu, his eyes no longer showing the deliberate flirtation he had just displayed, but only a playful scrutiny.

"Don't put yourself in Cao Aiqing's original position. You are not her, and you can't replace her. Why did I break up with her? And why did I choose you? You should know better than me... Do you love me?"

"嘁~"

Yu Naoqiu seemed to have heard a joke, letting out a mocking laugh. He Tianran, who was holding a cigar, suddenly straightened his two fingers, pointed at the woman, and laughed as well.
"Yes, that's the reaction. You see, talking about this kind of thing only makes people laugh. So, please, don't do this jealous stuff anymore, okay? I've had enough. If you keep doing this and inexplicably ruining my plans, and then make me have dinner with you... then our collaboration will have to end here, okay?"

Yu Naoqiu listened quietly. She took a drag of her cigarette and slowly exhaled, the smoke blurring her vision for a moment.

“Cooperation…” she emphasized the word, as if she was truly understanding its meaning for the first time, “He Tianran, you also know that we are ‘cooperating’?”

Before the man could answer, the woman continued speaking, her voice low but each word clear:

"You chose me because you need someone like me, someone who won't demand 'normality' or 'belonging' from you like Cao Aiqing did, someone who can understand the cold-bloodedness and madness in your bones, and even... someone who can rot away with you..."

And as your partner, I don't want the person I choose to be like this...

She paused, her gaze direct, her words sharp and laced with sarcasm:

"He's a spoiled brat who's obsessed with sex all day long, and he's dissolute and doesn't know how to control himself."

"Slap—slap—slap—slap—"

He Tianran, with a cigar dangling from his lips, clapped his hands slowly and rhythmically a few times, mumbling something under his breath:

"I love your business acumen, your insatiable greed!" He took off his cigar, in a great mood: "Tell me, since it's a collaboration, it can't all be me having fun. What do you want?"

“I want to meet your parents and have you acknowledge our current relationship. This is the first step for us to ‘join hands’ and move towards the future.”

Since He Tianran had described the magnificent blueprint for the future cooperation between the two companies to Yu Naoqiu, he couldn't just keep them hanging on like this. Yu Naoqiu wouldn't sit idly by and wait for his doom.

However, this suggestion, which had the potential to make substantial progress, was rejected by He Tianran:

"No."

The man waved his hand, disrupting the slowly rising smoke in mid-air, his tone resolute:

"I only broke up with Ai Qing a few days ago and you're already meeting them? Miss Yu, you're supposed to be the heiress of Tianping Lake, what are you doing now? Are you really trying to become a mistress and climb the social ladder?"

He had a cigar dangling from his lips, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips, but his gaze was cold and sharp.

“Back when Ai Qing was in England, she had a very good relationship with my mother. The development project on Nanzhi Island was also led by my mother. Now that you’ve done this, do you think she’ll give you a good look?”

Yu Naoqiu listened quietly, her face revealing neither joy nor anger. Only the ash on her fingertips silently accumulated into a long streak. She sneered inwardly, knowing that He Tianran's words, though seemingly righteous, were actually a ploy to delay and control the pace of the game.

"So how long are you planning to make me wait? A year? Two years? Or like your 'ex,' a few years in China, then a few more years abroad? You just said it yourself, I'm not Cao Aiqing, we don't have that kind of deep emotional foundation~"

"Oh dear, I was just saying that meeting the parents isn't urgent... but..."

He Tianran knew that Yu Naoqiu was the type to not act until he saw a clear benefit, but this very behavior of pressing for recognition was exactly what He Tianran was planning.

The man suddenly chuckled and placed his cigar on the ashtray.
"But before that, I think there's someone suitable you could meet first."

"Oh? Who?"

Yu Naoqiu raised an eyebrow, remaining expressionless.

"My good-for-nothing younger brother, He Yuanchong."

He Tianran spoke casually, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, but his gaze was fixed on Yu Naoqiu, not missing a single subtle reaction from her:

"It's quite interesting, actually. My younger brother is quite similar to us in some ways."

He paused deliberately, observing Yu Naoqiu. She still wore that lazy smile, but He Tianran keenly caught a fleeting hint of wariness and... unease in her eyes.
The man continued speaking slowly:

"Sigh, normally we shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public, but we're practically family now. Since we've already decided to meet each other's parents, it's okay to be a little more honest... Didn't you just say you hate spoiled brats who are all about lust? Well, my brother has recently become obsessed with Bai Lingye, sending her harassing messages like crazy, planning to use some underhanded methods to force himself on her. So the girl came to me to complain. You know she's currently negotiating a contract renewal with us, right at this crucial moment when the agency is preparing for its IPO. If we don't renew the contract, and she exposes this later, how am I supposed to sign artists in the future?"

These words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere!

Yu Naoqiu's fingers, which were holding a cigarette, trembled suddenly, and a long piece of ash broke off and fell onto her skirt.

He Yuanchong is harassing Bai Lingye?!

He Yuanchong, that idiot, didn't tell her a thing about this! He clearly knew that Bai Lingye was from He Tianran's company, and he also knew that Yu Naoqiu's relationship with He Tianran was delicate. How could he still do such a dirty trick behind her back? Was he crazy or was he deliberately trying to drag her down with him?

A moment of shock and anger almost shattered Yu Naoqiu's calm facade. She quickly lowered her eyes to conceal the surging resentment and rage within them.

He Tianran took in her loss of composure and became even more certain of some things!

As expected! Even though Yu Naoqiu seems to be on his side now, there is absolutely no innocent relationship between her and He Yuanchong!
He Tianran feigned surprise:
"Huh? What's wrong? Did you burn yourself with cigarette ash?"

His tone was full of undisguised mockery.

Yu Naoqiu abruptly raised her head, her face forcibly regaining its composure, even managing to force a more alluring smile, though the smile appeared slightly stiff:

"It's nothing, my hand just slipped."

She quickly stubbed out her cigarette, as if trying to suppress some emotion along with it.

"He Yuanchong..."

She repeated the name, feigning surprise, her tone a mixture of concern for her friend and shared indignation:

"I'm a little surprised. Isn't Yan Yan with him? I'm quite close to both of them, but how could He Yuanchong do something like this? This is a big deal, definitely more important than a meal between you and me. He even dared to mess with people from his own brother's company. He really doesn't know his limits."

He Tianran sneered inwardly, but nodded in deep agreement on the surface:
"Yes, so I plan to 'discipline' him tonight. I've already booked a table at the Chenchen Club..."

He leaned forward, his gaze carrying an undeniable invitation:
"Well, how about we have dinner together now? Miss Yu, would you like to come along? To see for yourself... what kind of person your future 'brother-in-law' is? And while you're at it, could you also help me figure out how to 'educate' him more effectively?"

Yu Naoqiu's palms were slightly sweaty.

He Tianran's move was too ruthless! By pushing her in front of He Yuanchong, any hint of familiarity or protection she showed would immediately arouse He Tianran's suspicion.

However, if she appears too indifferent, it might make that idiot He Yuanchong feel betrayed, and who knows what he might say without thinking.

dilemma.

But she was Yu Naoqiu after all, and in a very short time, this woman with a heart of stone made her decision.

She raised her face again, her smile becoming intrigued, even carrying a hint of anticipation, as if she wanted to stir up trouble.

“Great! I’m also curious to see how well my partner can educate the mistakes made by ‘family members’. Maybe… I can even offer some advice.”

"Oh, Nao Nao, do you have experience with this kind of thing?"

Yu Naoqiu shrugged slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Her quick agreement only deepened the scrutiny in He Tianran's eyes.

"Then it's settled."

He Tianran picked up his phone, pretending to send a message, but in reality, he was on high alert. This dinner party between brothers had instantly turned into a more dangerous trap because of Yu Naoqiu's involvement.

“Then let’s go to Chenchen Club together in an hour.” He put down his phone and looked at Yu Naoqiu. “I hope my younger brother… won’t disappoint his future sister-in-law.”

Yu Naoqiu's smile was impeccable: "Then I am truly honored to be able to participate in this... 'family banquet' between you brothers."

The two looked at each other and smiled, each harboring their own secrets.

He Tianran picked up the script on the table, which was labeled "Mengyin," and ran his fingertips along the rough paper. Then he turned his chair around, turned his back, opened the heavy walnut filing cabinet behind him, and carefully placed the script in one of the compartments, alongside many other projects that were waiting to be evaluated, forgotten, or implemented.

The smile on Yu Naoqiu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, gloomy expression and murderous intent.

He Yuanchong...

This idiot who succeeds more than fails!
He Tianran, who was facing the filing cabinet, gradually lost his nonchalant attitude, and his eyes became sharp, like a hawk locking onto its prey.

Yu Naoqiu and He Yuanchong...

I'd like to see how you plan to put on this show tonight!
"..."

"..."

A brief silence fell over the office, broken only by the dull thud of a filing cabinet door closing gently.

He Tianran didn't turn around immediately. He stared at his distorted reflection in the blurry mirror on the cabinet door, then suddenly spoke, his voice so calm it was almost abrupt, breaking the suffocating silence:

"Miss Yu, do you believe in cause and effect?"

Yu Naoqiu was immersed in his anger towards He Yuanchong and his calculations about the situation tonight. Hearing this, he was slightly taken aback, and then a trace of extreme impatience and vigilance flashed in his eyes.

She didn't understand why He Tianran suddenly brought this up.

"cause and effect?"

She scoffed, trying to steer the conversation back onto the familiar path of mutual attacks:
"Is Mr. He starting to worry about retribution after doing so many bad things?"

He Tianran slowly turned around, his face devoid of a smile, his gaze calm as he looked at her, as if the frivolous and dissolute man from the beginning was merely an illusion.

"retribution?"

He shook his head:
"No, I'm talking about something simpler and more direct—you reap what you sow."

"for example?"

“For example…” the man tapped the table, “For example, He Yuanchong harassing Bai Lingye is the cause, and now I have to clean up the mess is the effect. So what I’m curious about now is, what is the cause of his doing this? My brother is not stupid.”

Yu Naoqiu's smile became even more radiant:
"Cause and effect are too mysterious. I only believe in what's in front of me, like—what kind of result will I reap after this meal?"

　Thank you so much to "小默小默" and "雪☆轻灵" for your support! I am deeply grateful!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)