My girlfriend is from the future!

The meal for the two wasn't particularly fancy: a plate of shredded potatoes and pork, a plate of minced pork and eggplant, a self-heating hot pot, and a large bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup.

The food was leftovers, and He Tianran was too lazy to waste it, so he just cracked two eggs and fried them casually. If it weren't for the fact that there was an extra mouth to feed today, he probably wouldn't have taken out that self-heating hot pot that was about to expire.

Of course, Yu Naoqiu was unaware that the food was about to expire, and she didn't complain about the man's makeshift cooking. For someone who has only cooked a handful of times, eating something she made herself for the first time, and finding it quite delicious, she certainly wouldn't be picky.

On the projector in the living room, there was a TV series called "The Tide," starring Sun Zhangwen, which is about cracking down on organized crime. The series is currently exclusively broadcast on Surfline and has been updated to 12 episodes. Starting from the fifth episode, the series gradually entered its climax. With the full support of Surfline's own social media platforms and streaming services, the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. If the quality of the subsequent episodes does not drop, then this series will undoubtedly be the most popular TV series invested and produced by "Future Production" studio last year and even this year.

“My dad is watching this show and he praised you for making it. He even wants to invite the butcher actor to dinner, saying that he portrayed the fierceness of us Hokkien people very well. However, the few Hokkien lines he spoke were a bit fake, but the flaws don’t detract from the overall quality.”

Yu Naoqiu picked up a piece of shredded potato that he had prepared himself, watching the plot on the screen, and ate with relish.

"Pork Butcher" refers to the character played by Sun Zhangwen in the play. At the beginning, he is a butcher who slaughters pigs in the market.

"I didn't direct it; I just listed it as a producer."

"You've been busy attending various promotional events for this show lately. You're not even a main creator. Why don't you just post some related content online to promote it?"

"After all, I invested in it. The director and lead actors are all newcomers. The most famous one, Wen Liang, is still filming in Hengdian and can't come, so I can definitely lend my support."

He Tianran scooped a spoonful of minced meat and eggplant and mixed it into the rice.

Wen Liang also appeared in this drama. Although she was undoubtedly the female lead, as it was a male-dominated drama, her screen time was actually very limited. She finished filming in less than half a month after joining the crew.

"That settles it then. My dad doesn't care whether Director Chen directed the film or Director Wang wrote the script. He only cares about the big shots behind the scenes. You invested in this film and you set up the whole thing, so you're definitely the most important person. It's my dad's birthday next month. Why don't you invite that male actor to meet my dad and have a meal together?"

Yu Naoqiu looked expectant, while He Tianran remained calm and composed.
"It depends on the schedule. It's hard to book actors' schedules. After this promotional period ends, Teacher Sun will also be joining the production team."

Upon hearing this, the woman silently placed her chopsticks on the bowl, her smile fading slightly but not disappearing. She then asked:

"Then you'll definitely get there, right?"

"Can I not go?"

He Tianran ate his meal, wiping his nose as if dealing with something unimportant.

"..."

Yu Naoqiu remained silent, only shaking his head.

The man, not hearing any movement, swallowed the food in his mouth, put down the bowl, glanced at the silent Yu Naoqiu, stood up on his own, walked to the refrigerator, took a can of cola, pulled the tab with a "plop," tilted his head back and took a swig, and walked back to his original position with a comfortable look on his face.

As he put down the cola, he said:

"I don't know what your dad likes, so you can help me prepare a gift."

Upon receiving this reply, Yu Naoqiu tilted her head, a smile returning to her face: "Okay~"

She picked up her chopsticks again, looked at the can of cola He Tianran had placed on the table, and asked, "You have so many drinks in your office, and we're eating now, aren't you going to have some?"

"Didn't my dad say that day that he was the one who put the alcohol in my office?"

"I just thought you'd prefer alcohol to cola."

"why?"

"Because of the impression you give off."

"So it seems you don't really understand me, Miss Yu. My favorite drink is still this..." He Tianran tapped the can lightly with his finger: "Especially this kind of canned drink, the surface has to be frosted. If you want to be more particular, just pour it into a glass, add a couple of ice cubes, tsk tsk tsk, so satisfying~"

Yu Naoqiu glanced at her side slightly, "Don't you think it's a bit childish to talk about how to drink Coke while having dinner with a lady?"

He Tianran picked up a piece of unevenly shaped potato shreds with his chopsticks and showed off: "I didn't even say whether you cut these into potato chunks or potato shreds, and you're still acting all high and mighty here, saying I'm being childish."

Yu Naoqiu wanted to say something, but seeing He Tianran finish his demonstration and put the shredded potatoes in his mouth, the woman's words of rebuttal seemed to be swallowed back down along with the man's swallowing motion. In the end, she turned her gaze elsewhere and quietly uttered a sentence:
"As long as it's edible, that's good enough..."

"Yeah, then it's fine as long as I can drink cola, and I only drink alcohol in two situations."

"Which two?"

“Either it’s work-related socializing, or…” He Tianran paused, their eyes meeting in mid-air between the two of them, “or it’s something that happened because of love. Miss Yu, guess which one it was when I opened that bottle of Chambord Mousse for you in the office back then.”

Yu Naoqiu crossed her arms and slowly leaned back in the chair, the front legs of the chair slightly raised off the ground. She knew the answer, but it wasn't her answer.

"neither."

Having already experienced He Tianran's manipulative tactics, Yu Naoqiu wouldn't fall into the trap he wove with words so easily...

However, none of them were selected.

That's one answer too.

“Since tonight isn’t work and we don’t have any special feelings for each other, why should I drink? I’m just living my own life, Ms. Yu. Since you can’t fit in, it’s best if we keep our distance.”

"distance?"

The chair's front legs landed again with a dull thud.

"He Tianran, tonight you helped me win people over, brought me home, and even said some relatively intimate things to me in the kitchen just now. Now we're sitting face to face, eating rice cooked from the same pot...?"

Yu Naoqiu extended a finger and gently touched the back of He Tianran's hand holding the Coke can. The fingertip was icy cold, yet carried a certain burning heat, and slowly slid down until it touched the cold aluminum can.

Don't you think we're talking about "distance" too short a time right now?

He Tianran didn't move, but simply looked down at the finger that was causing trouble on the back of his hand, his tone calm:
"So, Miss Yu, you don't like drinking, you just like... seeking thrills?"

Seeing how accurately the other person, who seemed even more like a psychologist than himself, analyzed this aspect, Yu Naoqiu's eyes suddenly shone brightly.

"Yes, He Tianran. In that private room at the Platinum Palace, your all-knowing, aloof demeanor was indeed captivating. But now, in this living room filled with the smell of cheap food, in your own home, are you still going to maintain that facade?"

She stood up, walked around the dining table, her high heels clicking on the floor as she approached He Tianran, who was sitting there.

"You said you only drink Coke, but the look in your eyes right now is even more indifferent than this can of flat sugar water that's been sitting out for ages..."

Yu Naoqiu walked to his side without stopping. Instead, she lifted her leg and pressed her knee into the gap between He Tianran's legs on the chair. It was an extremely aggressive posture. She bent over, her long hair falling down, the ends of which brushed against He Tianran's neck.

“I can also see, He Tianran, that you're reluctant to break up with Cao Aiqing, but why did you choose me? Because I knew that day in the office that I'm probably the only one in the world who can understand and accept the dark undercurrents in your heart, who can communicate with you, and who can let you vent…”

She was trying to provoke him.

Warm breath sprayed onto his earlobe, and He Tianran's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the cola can, causing the aluminum can to make a slight deforming sound.

Perhaps it was because Cao Aiqing was mentioned, he finally turned his head, and a slight ripple appeared in his deep eyes.

"Dr. Yu, sometimes going too far in psychological analysis isn't a good thing."

"is it?"

Yu Naoqiu not only didn't back down, but moved even closer, her nose almost touching the man's cheek:
"But I just want to know, who are we, pretending to be sober in this environment... You said it yourself."

The woman reached out and actually tried to snatch the can of cola from He Tianran's hand.

"Let me taste what's so good about this cheap pleasure."

The instant her fingertips touched the rim of the jar, He Tianran suddenly twisted his wrist, avoiding her attempt to snatch it.

Immediately afterwards, a strong hand pushed her upper body without warning, and then pressed her down hard.

"Well--!"

Yu Naoqiu gasped as she was slammed onto the dining table, spilling the once cozy meal onto the floor. The woman's gaze fell upon He Tianran's aloof yet extremely gloomy face.

"Would you like to try some?"

He Tianran's voice came from above, no longer steady, but carrying a hint of violence born from being pushed to the limit.

"Since you think the life I've chosen is cheap, mundane, and just like a can of sugar water without any fizz... then you'd better not regret it."

Before he could finish speaking, the next second, he gripped Yu Naoqiu's collar tightly, forcing her to tilt her head back, and then, under the gaze of those astonished eyes—

Invert the can of cola and pour it over your face. "Open your mouth."

This was not just an order, but a forced execution; the man pinched the woman's cheeks, forcing her mouth to open.

The icy liquid, with the popping sensation of carbonated bubbles, poured unceremoniously onto Yu Naoqiu's lips and face.

"Cough... Ugh... Cough cough cough!"

Yu Naoqiu choked and instinctively struggled. The sweet, brown liquid spilled from the corner of her lips, flowed down her fair neck, and dripped onto her expensive silk shirt, staining the delicate fabric with a messy dark stain.

This is an insult, and a complete destruction of her arrogant attitude.

He Tianran released his grip, looking at the disheveled, panting woman whose mouth reeked of cola, his eyes cold and mocking:
"How is it, Miss Yu? This cheap taste, does it taste pretty good?"

Yu Naoqiu was breathing heavily, his chest heaving.

She raised her hand to wipe the liquid from the corner of her mouth, looking at the man in front of her who had finally torn off his disguise and revealed his fangs.

Yu Naoqiu looked at the undisguised malice in He Tianran's eyes. In that instant, the astonishment in the woman's eyes faded, and in its place were two flames of madness.

This is it.

This is exactly what she wanted!

"He Tianran..."

She suddenly chuckled softly, the laughter trembling slightly, yet carrying a chilling excitement.

"You really understand me..."

The next second, Yu Naoqiu, who had been in a passive position, suddenly burst out with brute force. Taking advantage of He Tianran's moment of relaxation, she pounced on him.

"Clang-!"

The chair couldn't withstand the sudden impact and tipped backward, knocking He Tianran and the chair to the ground. His back slammed heavily against the floor, and he let out a muffled groan.

Before he could even get up, Yu Naoqiu had already straddled his waist without a care. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were wet, and she exuded an almost eerie madness, yet was also breathtakingly beautiful.

You've dirtied my clothes...

She breathed heavily in He Tianran's ear, sticking out her tongue to lick away a drop of cola that had splashed on the man's Adam's apple, her voice so seductive it was almost dripping with water:
"Then... you'll have to pay for it yourself."

After saying that, she leaned down and kissed He Tianran fiercely in return.

This is like a plunder, or more like two trapped beasts tearing each other apart in a confined space.

The woman's kiss carried the metallic scent of blood and the cloying sweetness of cola.

He Tianran instinctively tried to push, but as soon as he raised his hand, Yu Naoqiu slapped it away!

Then...

"Collapse, collapse, collapse—"

A few buttons popped off the floor with a crisp sound.

Yu Naoqiu's fingers trembled as he frantically tore at the buttons on his shirt.

Under the bright lights, large expanses of snow-white skin were exposed, and the traces of brown liquid staining the skin stood out starkly, exuding a suffocatingly lewd atmosphere.

"Come on... He Tianran..."

Her eyes were glazed over as she leaned down again, kissing the man's lips while frantically trying to undo his belt, completely lost in a reckless, ambiguous frenzy.

"Let's see... who goes crazy first..."

however.

At that critical moment, when desire was about to cross the line—

"Knock, knock, knock, knock knock knock knock knock knock..."

First came three rhythmic, cold knocks, followed by a series of thunderous knocks that exploded in the living room without warning.

Immediately afterwards, Wu Xiao's calm yet extremely penetrating voice came from outside the door:
"Boss, the car is parked. Also, the company called and wants you to come over as soon as possible."

The sound was like a bucket of ice water poured onto a wildfire that was about to ignite.

Yu Naoqiu's hand, which was unbuckling his belt, suddenly froze, and the confused mist in his eyes instantly solidified.

He Tianran's eyes narrowed. Almost at the same second as the knocking sounded, all his emotions vanished, leaving only a cold, lifeless silence.

He exerted force and threw the disheveled woman who was straddling him to the ground.

"what!"

Yu Naoqiu cried out in surprise and rolled to the side in a disheveled state, leaving a red mark on her fair skin as she scraped it against the floor.

He Tianran quickly stood up, without even glancing at her, and simply bent down to straighten his somewhat disheveled clothes and fasten the belt that had almost come undone.

"It seems my driver knows how to pick his time better than you, Miss Yu."

He walked to the entrance, picked up his coat and put it on, his movements fluid and effortless, as if the absurd affair had never happened.

He turned around, looked at the woman slumped on the floor, still somewhat dazed, and spoke in an infuriatingly calm tone:
"This meal is finished. It seems neither of us wants to cook just one dish. So, Miss Yu... please remember to close the door behind you when you leave."

After saying that, he opened the door.

Outside the door, Wu Xiao stood straight. When he saw He Tianran come out, he bowed slightly, as if he hadn't heard anything.

He Tianran strode out, not glancing back at the disheveled woman inside, leaving Yu Naoqiu with only a decisive back view and a light, fleeting instruction that fell with the sound of the door closing:
"Oh, and remember to clean up all the mess you made."

"boom."

The door was closed tightly.

Yu Naoqiu sat on the cold floor, looking at the tightly closed door, his fingers slowly clenching the can of cola that had fallen to the ground and drained its last drop of liquid.

On the screen in the living room, a rare scene from "The Storm" was playing, featuring Wen Liang's entrance. In the film, she was using her sunshine and vitality to try to comfort the upright male protagonist who had been hit hard and was in a slump.

"He always leaves himself an escape route when he escapes, and having an escape route means having choices. But if you can make him have no choice, and eliminate all his supporters around him, leaving him only one way out, then wouldn't he be trapped like a turtle in a jar?"

In the film, Wen Liang's lines not only enlightened the protagonist, but also made Yu Naoqiu, who was lost in thought off-screen, twitch his shoulders.

"Ah……"

A very soft, cold laugh escaped her throat, as if mocking Wen Liang on the screen, or perhaps mocking her own loss of control just now.

Yu Naoqiu's eyes gradually turned cold, then resentful. She remembered that night in Shanghai, when this woman took He Tianran and disappeared...

She slowly clenched her fists, grabbed the empty Coke can, and smashed it against the cool, smiling face on the screen.

"I don't need... you to remind me."

The next second in the scene, Sun Zhangwen, playing a butcher, is holding a butcher knife, staring fiercely at the camera, and slashes down.

Off-screen, Yu Naoqiu slowly stood up. She didn't choose to leave immediately, but stared at the mess on the ground, standing there stunned for a few seconds...

Then, she tied her hair back up and went to the bathroom...

When she came out again, she hadn't even washed the grime off her face, but she was now holding a mop...

Yu Naoqiu...

It actually happened...

Following He Tianran's instructions before leaving, they began cleaning the room. (End of Chapter)