My girlfriend is from the future!

Midnight, 23:45.

Bulgari's dinner has ended, but capital never sleeps, like the ever-flowing light on the Huangpu River, gently swaying with the ripples, settling the city's prosperity and desires into this silent flow.

After the dinner, it was pure party time, only the location changed to the rooftop bar on the top floor of the Bulgari Hotel. It was more private and wilder here. Compared to the refined manners of the high society at the dinner, the extravagance and debauchery here seemed more real...

Someone was laughing and joking on a high stool, pouring champagne. The amber liquid flowed down the table, and no one stopped them.

In a corner of the balcony, the hem of a skirt and the crotch of a suit trousers rubbed together suggestively in the dim light. A woman's slender hand casually toyed with a man's loosened tie, while from the depths of another sofa, a suppressed yet unrestrained chuckle drifted out...

He Tianran leaned alone against the edge of the cold glass railing, looking down at the vast and bustling city that never sleeps. He held a newly lit, slender cigarette between his fingers, but did not take a puff for a long time, letting the bluish-white smoke dissipate in wisps in the chilly night wind.

No outrageous behavior would be allowed at the banquet, and Bai Wenyu wouldn't allow herself to lose her composure in that setting. After receiving a silent answer, she turned and left the venue early, flying out of Shanghai overnight as originally planned.

Recalling the utterly disappointed look in his mother's eyes when she left, He Tianran silently raised his head, staring blankly at the scattered flights flying across the night sky.

"Stop looking, Aunt Bai should have left a long time ago."

Yu Naoqiu appeared beside him. She turned around, leaned against the railing, slowly picked up the cigarette case that He Tianran had put aside, took out a cigarette and put it in her red lips, but did not light it.

He Tianran turned his head to the side, shrugged his shoulders, then reached into his pocket, took out a kerosene lighter, held the body between his thumb and forefinger, flicked the cover open with his middle finger, and as he pulled it back, he turned the flint wheel, and a cluster of flames gently burst open in his hand with a "snap".

The woman lowered her head and lit her cigarette with a lighter. He Tianran pulled his hand away, put the lighter back on the cigarette pack beside him, and finally spoke:

"Are you satisfied?"

"Why do you seem... not very happy? Aren't your parents going to find out about your breakup with Cao Aiqing sooner or later? Or are you planning to keep dragging this out? Since you value our 'cooperation' so much, I should also take it seriously. I can't let you dump me after I've finished doing my job for you, and I certainly can't allow you to go back to your old relationship as if nothing happened."

Yu Naoqiu exhaled a puff of smoke, gazing at his face obscured by the haze.

With each step the scales tipped in her favor towards He Tianran, her alliance with He Yuanchong weakened. But without a doubt, with each step forward, she was pushing He Tianran further down a path where she was all he had left.

“Of course I’m unhappy… but not because of Cao Aiqing. There are two reasons,” He Tianran said, brushing the smoke from his eyes with a solemn expression. “First, you embarrassed me in front of my mother. And I don’t like being interrupted by outsiders when I’m being close to my family. Your appearance prevented me from giving my mother the gift I wanted to give her…”

He raised his left hand, and on his index finger was the B.zero1 diamond ring he had just chosen.

Yu Naoqiu looked at the ring, her composed expression softening slightly, but He Tianran hadn't finished speaking yet:

"Secondly, I don't know how your Yu family raised you. If you think you're too important and feel that cooperating with me is beneath you, then our cooperation can be terminated at any time, while neither of us suffers any loss."

However, Ms. Yu, if you choose to continue, I must remind you that our plan involves the union of two families and the birth of a new one. Although we are both feigning affection, I still hope that my future…partner can maintain sufficient dignity in this regard, after all, neither of us are 'orphans'.”

Yu Naoqiu frowned deeply at what was said, and finally managed to utter a few words:
"You'd better really mean what you say."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Ha, what about the jewelry you promised to give me?"

He Tianran was stunned. He hadn't expected to hear such words from Yu Naoqiu. It was just a casual promise he made during the day, but now it seemed that it was just a rebuttal she made in a moment of desperation.

“Miss Yu, you’ve ruined a lot of my plans today. I certainly won’t be giving you any more gifts, and I assume you’re not lacking in such things. If you really want me to fulfill my promise, then…”

He picked up the cigarette case and lighter that were placed on the railing and put them down next to Yu Naoqiu.

"This is for you."

"You humiliate me?"

"It is to remind us all of what happened today."

The man turned around again, the cigarette in his hand now covered with a long ash. He finally raised his hand and flicked it off gently. The flicker of light drew a brief arc in the night before disappearing into the endless brilliance of the lights below.

A night breeze blows, carrying the unique, slightly salty, and damp scent of the Huangpu River...

He Tianran felt a chill.

He reached out his hand...

It's raining.

"...Next time, I'll help you."

After a long while, Yu Naoqiu finally responded from behind the man with a hint of determination.

"Wasn't this agreed upon at the banquet? Decisions like this, if you talk about them too much, they'll seem less weighty."

"No... I mean... to completely eliminate He Yuanchong."

He Tianran was tempted, but he didn't turn his head or say anything. He felt someone approaching his right shoulder, followed by a slight bend in his arm after being squeezed. It was Yu Naoqiu who had taken his arm back.

The woman was still wearing the same evening gown she wore to the Bulgari event—a deep blue silk dress with a deep V-neck that was held together by a few thin ribbons of the same color, highlighting the clear outline of her shoulder blades and expanses of fair skin. Elegance and danger were subtly balanced in her.

Seemingly sensing the chill, she silently tightened her grip on the man's arm, the scent of rose lingering on her body irresistibly invading He Tianran's senses.

"But... I have one condition."

Hearing this, He Tianran finally turned his head to look at her.

The man knew that for Yu Naoqiu, urging He Yuanchong to fulfill his promise made at the club and completely eliminating this younger brother were two different things. If she didn't get an equal promise from him, this woman wouldn't suddenly decide to risk falling out with He Yuanchong and losing the Yu family's interests in the Haigang District to help him...

"You want me to acknowledge your status in front of my parents after I return to Hong Kong?"

Yu Naoqiu shook her head, paused, and then slowly rested her head on the man's shoulder.

“You’re right this time. Aunt’s feelings for Cao Aiqing are much deeper than I imagined. She definitely won’t accept me for a while, but fortunately… we have a long future ahead of us.”

He Tianran seemed to realize something, and said with some struggle:

"……and you?"

"I just..." The man felt his arm being held tighter, but Yu Naoqiu didn't look up at him. Instead, she remained in that position for several seconds before saying:
"I just feel...it's a bit cold tonight."

"..."

The deeper meaning behind a woman's words is self-evident.

Behind the two, someone casually took off a six-figure watch and placed it on the spilled liquor table as a stake in a bet.

In the darker corners, capital flows like an undercurrent; a few whispers may decide tomorrow's acquisition, and a glass of strong liquor may secure a celebrity endorsement.

This rooftop in the light drizzle remains another form of arena for fame and fortune, only the rules are more blatant and the exchanges more direct.

He Tianran remained silent, listening to the various trivial sounds behind him, and suddenly felt that even the cold rain could not wash away the burning desires of this world.

He knew that Yu Naoqiu needed a more substantial "bond" to offset the risks posed by her impending decisive action against He Yuanchong, and if he refused, if he missed this opportunity, then all the performances he had arranged so far might very well be in vain...

Just then, a slightly hoarse yet familiar and penetrating voice sliced ​​through the relentless, desire-filled rain like a sharp blade:

"He Tianran."

They both turned their heads at the same time.

Wen Liang stood a few steps away, without an umbrella. The rain soaked her still-wearing red dress, and the dazzling red was like an inextinguishable flame in the dim rainy night. The slightly damp fabric clung tightly to her body, outlining her breathtaking curves.

Her hair was slightly damp from the rain, but her eyes shone brightly as she stared straight at He Tianran, as if nothing around her, including Yu Naoqiu in his arms, existed.

Looking at the cool breeze in the rain, He Tianran felt like a drowning man finally grabbing onto a piece of driftwood; an almost instinctive impulse made him make a choice immediately…

"Ms. Yu, you're a little late in saying this, or rather... would you mind adding one more person?"

"He Tianran!"

Before Yu Naoqiu could react, He Tianran abruptly pulled his hand away, took a step towards Wen Liang, quickly took off his expensive suit jacket, and draped it over Wen Liang's cold shoulders without saying a word, wrapping her whole body, along with that stubborn red color, around her.

"Didn't you say you'd wait for me in the room? Why didn't you even bring an umbrella when you came up?"

His voice carried a urgency he himself was unaware of, and a hint of something hard to discern... concern, or rather, relief at grasping at a straw.

Wen Liang did not answer his question. Her gaze went over He Tianran's shoulder and landed on Yu Naoqiu's face, which had instantly turned icy behind him. A faint but provocative smile appeared on her lips.

He Tianran turned around following her gaze, looked at Yu Naoqiu, and spoke in a calm tone, yet with a hint of cynicism:
“Ms. Yu, I’d like to correct something you said before. You said you wouldn’t let me rekindle our past relationship as if nothing happened. I want to say you can rest assured about that. You know why we had this ‘cooperation’ in the first place. As for your suggestion, I’m tempted, but tonight… haha, we can do it next time.”

After saying that, without even looking at Yu Naoqiu's eyes that were almost spitting fire, he naturally reached out and put his arm around Wen Liang's waist, embracing her in a protective and possessive manner, and walked towards the entrance leading to the hotel without looking back.

On the terrace, a light rain fell like mist.

Yu Naoqiu stood there, watching the two figures disappear behind the door. His jawline tightened for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

She looked at the cigarette box that He Tianran had left on the railing, slowly picked it up, took out a slender cigarette and put it between her lips, and then picked up the kerosene lighter.

The embossed design on the lighter is a burning rose.

"Cha-"

As the flint rubbed together, an orange flame stubbornly leaped up in the rain, illuminating the resentment and bitterness in her eyes.

She leaned closer to light it, but a gust of cold wind carrying rain swept by, and with a soft "poof," the light went out instantly, leaving only a wisp of even more pungent smoke, like her invitation tonight.

Undeterred, she tried again to ignite the grinding wheel, but the flame wouldn't come out no matter what she did.

Yu Naoqiu raised his head, looking at the dark, oppressive sky where rain was constantly falling, and squeezed out a barely audible curse filled with hatred:

"...Even you are going against me."

……

……

On the other side, the gleaming elevator doors closed silently, completely isolating the cool rain and noise from outside, leaving only a stifling silence in the cramped space.

He Tianran stood side by side with Wen Liang, the girl still wearing his expensive suit jacket draped over her shoulders. Wu Xiao stood like a silent shadow, his thick fingers precisely pressing the button for the hotel room where He Tianran was.

Just as the elevator was about to begin its descent, He Tianran suddenly spoke, his voice low and heavy, carrying an uncontrollable irritation and an indescribable sadness:

"Go down one floor."

Wu Xiao's finger, which was about to press the close button, paused. Without any questions, he did as instructed, canceled the guest room floor, pressed the button for the first floor, and the elevator paused slightly before starting to descend.

Wen Liang turned her head to look at him, and water droplets slid down from the ends of her hair, disappearing into the neckline covered by her suit jacket.

She could feel the oppressive aura emanating from the man beside her. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke softly:
"There's a hairdryer in the room, or... you could go back and change into some dry clothes first..."

"roll."

A cold, clearly disgusted word, like a needle chilled to ice, suddenly pierced He Tianran's lips.

The sound wasn't loud, but it sounded unusually clear and jarring in the enclosed space.

Wen Liang's remaining words caught in her throat. She froze, her shoulders, draped in a suit jacket, hunched slightly, as if struck by the word.

She looked at He Tianran in disbelief, the stubborn light in her eyes that had just been shining in the rain instantly dimmed, leaving only astonishment and a hint of... hurt.

He Tianran immediately regretted shouting the word, but he didn't turn around or apologize. He just clenched his fists even tighter and stared intently at the constantly changing floor numbers in front of him, as if they were some kind of mortal enemy.

Wu Xiao remained with his back to them, like a silent stone statue, as if he hadn't heard anything.

The air inside the elevator froze completely because of that one word… (End of Chapter)