My girlfriend is from the future!

The scene of Yu Naoqiu cleaning alone in the living room was silently recorded by a surveillance camera hanging in the corner of the room.

"Mr. He, this..."

Wu Xiao looked at the images being transmitted to the screen in real time, and hesitated to speak.

On the sofa behind him, He Tianran drank cola, also staring at the scene where Yu Naoqiu was cleaning alone in the big house, looking somewhat lonely.

The fact that Wu Xiao knocked on the door just now was not a coincidence. In fact, while he was taking Yu Naoqiu home and leaving her downstairs to cook, He Tianran returned to the bedroom and sent a message to Wu Xiao to come knocking on the door in an hour to pick him up.

Moreover, ever since He Tianran let this bodyguard live next door, he had instructed him to install a surveillance system, because the man could foresee that if he had contact with Yu Naoqiu again, this situation would not only happen once.

"Say what you want to say."

He Tianran walked over, put down his cola, and sat down next to Wu Xiao.

“Well…” Wu Xiao looked at the woman focused on cleaning on the screen and said, “Well… Mr. He, you’d better be careful with this woman.”

"Why? I asked her to clean the house, and she actually did it. Isn't that being obedient?"

He Tianran tilted his body slightly, propping his chin up with his hand, as if he didn't quite understand the warning in Wu Xiao's words.

"Yes, she did do as you instructed before you left, but don't you think people like that are the most terrifying?"

The employer's eyes flickered, and he shifted his gaze to the bodyguard's face. The man, who had served in the military for many years, recalled:
"There's an old saying: the weak fear the strong, the strong fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless. But in the military, there are many tough people and quite a few reckless ones. However, when we're on a mission or training, we all have a consensus: unless absolutely necessary, don't provoke such people."

Wu Xiao pointed to Yu Naoqiu on the screen.

He Tianran remained silent, then Wu Xiao continued:
"She seems very obedient, carrying out your orders meticulously, and she knows you are deliberately making things difficult for her, but she doesn't feel wronged at all, and even finds it amusing. Such soldiers are often the most difficult to lead because you can't distinguish her emotions, so you have no way of judging her true thoughts, which ultimately makes it impossible for you to entrust your back to her."

"What, aren't all the soldiers in the army comrades-in-arms? You can't even trust them?"

Wu Xiao shook his head:
"I'm just giving an example. In the military, people naturally get to know each other's character through long-term interaction and observation. But we're simple; we just carry out our missions and complete our training. There's nothing else. But you... Mr. He, please forgive my bluntness, but I don't have that much experience with relationships. But to put someone like that on your mind... reminds me of something from the past..."

There was a soldier in my class... I don't know how to describe him, but he was shrewd yet honest. He was shrewd in his dealings with people, and honest in that he always obeyed orders. Once, the squad leader lost his temper and said some harsh words, telling him to die. After training that day, he disappeared. Later, he was found, half-dead. When the company commander found out, he rushed over and kicked the squad leader in the chest, saying, "You told someone to die, why didn't you try it yourself?"
I remember the scene very clearly because right when the company commander was beating the squad leader, the soldier suddenly woke up and started laughing, coughing up blood while laughing. My comrades and I looked at each other in bewilderment. I still vividly remember that laughter, but I still can't figure out what the soldier was laughing about...

Mr. He, that's the feeling Ms. Yu gives me.

He Tianran remained silent throughout, only nodding after Wu Xiao finished speaking. He then continued watching the monitor, observing Yu Naoqiu's back as she cleaned, seemingly lost in thought.

……

……

The following day, Yu Naoqiu arrived at his temporary office in the harbor area on time.

She had received several messages last night from He Yuanchong's close friends. Now that they knew he was in trouble, they were eager to come find her.

However, when she entered the office, an unexpected person was already sitting in the office chair.

The figure had its back to the main entrance, its gaze fixed on the window, and its head was wrapped in a conspicuous white gauze. Yu Naoqiu was taken aback when he entered.

"You...are you better?"

The man slowly turned around, revealing himself to be He Yuanchong, who had been recuperating at home recently.

He didn't answer Yu Naoqiu's question immediately, but instead looked at him with a sinister gaze and gave an irrelevant answer:
Is this seat comfortable?

The woman chuckled softly, walked to the coat rack in the room, and hung up her handbag and coat. Seeing her silence, He Yuanchong stood up, glared at her, and lowered his voice, saying each word slowly and deliberately:

"Sun Rui called me last night, what are you trying to do?"

"What do I want to do?" Yu Naoqiu took out his cigarettes and lighter from his coat pocket, slowly walked to the opposite side of He Yuanchong, and lit a cigarette unhurriedly. "I want to push forward the progress. What do I want to do? Young Master He, do you think all those construction teams are going to wait for you to recover before they can start work?"

"boom--!!"

He Yuanchong slammed his fist on the table, hysterical:

"You know He Tianran is lying to them, and none of the payments will be delayed. Why won't you explain this to me?! Why won't you tell them?!"

"……Why?"

Yu Naoqiu muttered something under his breath, chuckled to himself, and said coldly:
“Zhao Yuanchong, didn’t you also not tell me that you’re not even He Panshan’s illegitimate son?

Her words struck like a silent thunderclap. The woman's cold, indifferent eyes reflected the man's momentary fear. She stepped forward, her words leaving no room for argument:

"If your mother hadn't told me about your background that day and asked me to cooperate with your so-called 'bitter trick,' I wouldn't have bothered with your affair with Bai Lingye! Zhao Yuanchong, if you want to cooperate with me to bring He Tianran down, the prerequisite is that you have the qualifications!"

Meeting He Yuanchong's gaze, Yu Naoqiu leaned forward again, raising one hand and slamming it down hard once more—

"Snapped!"

A loud bang caused He Yuanchong, who had been furious just moments before, to slump into his chair, instantly reversing the positions between the two.

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell He Tianran about what happened between us?!"

In his haste, He Yuanchong issued a warning, to which Yu Naoqiu scoffed disdainfully, exhaling a wisp of smoke as he said contemptuously:
"You should know that ever since I helped you hypnotize him for the first time and then went to see him, he has been interested in cooperating with me. I remember he also expressed this idea to you frankly. I suspect that he already knows about what's going on between us or that he doesn't have any evidence, so he doesn't want to make things too ugly for the time being."

"So you've been waiting for the right price ever since?"

"if not?"

Faced with He Yuanchong's questioning, Yu Naoqiu answered decisively. She turned her back and flicked her cigarette ash.

"Cooperation is about strength and leverage. I can accept being deceived, but I cannot accept failure. So when I learned that my partner had no leverage at all, and that the disparity in strength between us was so great that I was to be used as a pawn..."

She casually stubbed out her cigarette, which she had only taken two puffs of, on the solid wood desk in front of He Yuanchong, leaving a charred mark, much like the indelible stain on his body.

"Do you think it's necessary for me to continue betting on a game I'm destined to lose?"

He Yuanchong's chest heaved violently, and blood seemed to seep faintly from under the gauze on his forehead. He wanted to retort, but found that all his anger was futile in the face of the name "Zhao Yuanchong"...

Yu Naoqiu is not a docile collaborator; she is a shark that has smelled blood.

"So what... do you want now?" He Yuanchong's voice was hoarse, with a last shred of struggle. "Go help He Tianran? You think he'll treat you sincerely? He's just using you! Just like he uses everyone else!"

"use?"

Yu Naoqiu walked to the window, leaned against the windowsill with his back to He Yuanchong, and quietly said:
"Zhao Yuanchong, you're making it sound like we weren't just using each other before. You used me to bring down He Tianran, and I used you to develop my family's interests. But He Tianran knew how to show sincerity better than you. At least he did what he told me. Didn't you always say that you and Cao Aiqing had a deep relationship? Look at them, when it came to a crucial moment in their lives, they broke up without hesitation and chose me. But you, you kept pulling and tugging at Xie Yanyan, both complaining that her family background couldn't help you and worrying about your family's reaction, refusing to break things off. In the end, you even went and provoked Bai Lingye..."

"By the way, the men in your family are quite similar in this respect, but compared to your adoptive father and your brother, Yuan Chong, even your tendency to be a womanizer isn't as pure as those two men surnamed He." Sunlight streamed in from behind Yu Naoqiu, casting a dark outline around her profile and obscuring her expression, making her even more enigmatic.

"I will continue to push forward with the project here. I won't touch your shares or your say in the business. You don't need to be so nervous. Just focus on recovering. The Haigang District is a formal cooperation agreement between our two companies, and you'll get what's rightfully yours, not a penny less. As for your friends..."

She paused for a moment:
“They trust people who can solve their problems immediately now. Just focus on recovering and wait for things to calm down. Maybe there will be another chance. I believe they would be happy to reconcile with you.”

These words undoubtedly signify that Yu Naoqiu has drawn a clear line between himself and He Yuanchong, and has truly made a choice between the two He brothers.

"So...should I call you 'sister-in-law' now?"

He Yuanchong's chest heaved violently, and though he was filled with anger, he could only squeeze out this sentence through gritted teeth.

"Whatever you want. Things haven't progressed that fast between your brother and me yet, but I'm happy to hear you call me that."

Yu Naoqiu didn't care at all. She picked up her handbag again: "Oh, by the way, if you like this office, then you can continue to use it. Your 'partners' should be arriving soon. I'm sure you have a lot to say to them."

After she finished speaking, she didn't look at He Yuanchong again, walked straight to the door, placed her hand on the doorknob, and gently opened it a crack...

At that very moment, she heard a clear sound in her ear—

"Kneel down and come here."

That's not He Yuanchong's voice...

This voice is somewhat special; you can hear a unique texture and spatial reverberation, which comes from the phone's speaker.

Nevertheless, the voice and tone were not difficult to recognize...

Because that was Yu Naoqiu's own voice.

The door was slowly closed again.

The woman turned her head with a serious expression. She had been about to leave, and He Yuanchong hadn't stopped her. Now, this effeminate man was holding his phone with both hands, looking up with a wicked smile on his face. He turned the phone over and pointed at the screen, saying:
"Dr. Yu, I knew you were a woman of some kind, but I never imagined you'd be so adept at having fun abroad!"

On the small screen of the phone, a video was playing of a white woman kneeling on the ground, her face blindfolded, slowly crawling towards Yu Naoqiu, who sat in a chair with a cold expression and an arrogant posture, legs crossed.

"That was my own request as a patient. Do you know what you're doing, Zhao Yuanchong!"

When it came to her most private matters, Yu Naoqiu was indeed thrown into disarray. She rushed over in a few strides, reaching out to snatch the phone from the other person, but He Yuanchong simply raised his hand and asked in the same tone:
"Do you know what you're doing, Yu Naoqiu? I spent a fortune to get this!"

He deftly held his phone to his chest, his words exaggerated:
"Oh, you don't really think that I can't handle the Harbor District project on my own, and that I'm going to give the Yu family a piece of the pie for nothing? Or do you really think I'm your lapdog? Yes, I'm not He Panshan's biological son, but you are Yu Yaozu's biological daughter. You look down on me? Then let's see who's more willing to go all out."

Yu Naoqiu's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. The composure and sarcasm on his face had vanished, replaced by a look of shock and anger as if his tail had been stepped on, and a hint of panic that he tried to hide but still managed to reveal.

She never expected that He Yuanchong would be able to dig up something she had left behind during her early years practicing abroad, in order to handle certain special cases and also to satisfy some secret desire for exploration...

"Delete it!"

She lowered her voice, her tone chilling:
"Zhao Yuanchong, do you even know what this is all about? While I still have patience..."

What is its nature?

He Yuanchong interrupted her, slowly putting his phone away, leisurely enjoying her loss of composure:

"It's something that can ruin your reputation as a 'psychologist,' bring shame to your Yu family, and let He Tianran... really see another side of his 'partner.'"

He deliberately emphasized the words "partner".

"Oh right, I forgot you two are just 'cooperating,' maybe my brother doesn't care about these things, but I think my dad definitely does. Tell me, if his chosen successor marries a woman like this, would he be happy? Besides, my brother is a very proud man. He may not have feelings for you, but if you tarnish his reputation, do you think he'll be happy? So, Yu Naoqiu, between us now, who's more noble?"

Every word He Yuanchong spoke was like a poisoned needle, precisely piercing the spot that Yu Naoqiu cared about most.

Yu Naoqiu's face paled for a moment, and her breathing became noticeably rapid. She abruptly closed her eyes, her chest heaving a few times. When she opened them again, the shock and anger in her eyes were forcibly suppressed, replaced by a cold calm that came from recognizing the situation.

"...What do you want?" Her voice was even colder than before.

"What do I want?"

He Yuanchong laughed, a laugh that contained both the satisfaction of revenge and the madness of someone at their wit's end.

“I also want to ask you, Yu Naoqiu, what you're saying about what's mine being mine is mine, are you trying to fool a child with that nonsense? After what happened between the three of us, after you got together with He Tianran, do you think I could survive in this family? Are you that kind of merciful?”

The two knew each other well enough, so Yu Naoqiu avoided answering the question, pondering instead:
"...You should have had my video a long time ago, why didn't you show it to me sooner?"

"If I had taken it out earlier, how could you have chosen He Tianran so easily?"

"you……"

Yu Naoqiu's pupils contracted. The sunlight shone on her profile, and although it was warm, she felt a chill run down her spine. Looking at He Yuanchong's face, which was slightly distorted by pride and resentment, she felt an almost physical disgust for this man for the first time, as well as... a trace of regret.

"Did you deliberately send me to get close to He Tianran? You knew that I would definitely choose him over you two brothers, so you prepared a way to threaten me beforehand?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

He Yuanchong spread his arms wide, as if he had heard an assessment that couldn't be more accurate:
“Yu Naoqiu, I value you because you're ambitious, which is something I share. But similarly, I can smell that same arrogance in you as He Tianran. People like you are most afraid of having flaws. He Tianran didn't have any such flaws before, but now that you're with him, he has them! Hahahahaha—!”

Yu Naoqiu took another breath:

"I take back my previous assessment of you as a spoiled brat and good-for-nothing, which is why I got on your pirate ship. Do you expect me to go all the way with you to the dark end? Who taught you these tricks?"

"Of course, it's from being exposed to it all along. Have you forgotten my background? I've known these tricks since I was a child."

He Yuanchong smiled with satisfaction. This was the first time he had been so open about his past. He carefully put his phone into his pocket, as if it were his last talisman. Then, the man stood up and extended his hand:
"So, 'sister-in-law,' are we... still good partners?"

Yu Naoqiu did not answer, but turned around and faced the window again, his back stiff.

He Yuanchong didn't care. He walked around the desk, his hand unabashedly reaching under the woman's skirt. He pressed himself against Yu Naoqiu's back, whispering in her ear in a close, intimate manner:
"Oh, and also, 'sister-in-law.' My brother's situation... it all depends on you. After all, it seems like your 'relationship' is progressing quite well?"

The sarcastic remark about "sister-in-law" made Yu Naoqiu's back visibly tense up.

"roll--!"

The woman tried to nudge him backward with her elbow, but He Yuanchong easily dodged it. The man chuckled frivolously:

"Hey, I thought you liked this style, stop pretending!" (End of Chapter)