My girlfriend is from the future!

Five minutes later, at the front door of He Tianran's house.

He Tianran stood on a stool, with "The Wise Principle Should Be Achieved" pasted on the left and "Return and Laugh" pasted on the right.

The horizontal scroll in the middle that read "Coolness in the Human World" was pasted slightly crooked under Wen Liang's direction.

"A little to the left! Oops, it's off-center! To the right! Yes, yes, yes! That's the angle!!"

Cao Aiqing helped hand over the tape from below, and helplessly held the stool, saying, "Be careful, don't fall."

Just then, the sound of an elevator came from the distant corridor, followed by footsteps. Bodyguard Wu Xiao appeared at the corner of the corridor, carrying two boxes of gifts. When he looked up, he saw this incredibly shocking scene.

"Xiao...Wen? Haven't you been..."

"Ahem~ Hehe, Brother Wu~ Happy New Year~"

Wen Liang, who had been chattering and giving orders, suddenly became quiet. Although Wu Xiao was much younger than her father, he was still an elder. Besides, she hadn't told her family about her return this time. If Wu Xiao were to tell Wen Rui'an that she had secretly come back, one could imagine what serious consequences would occur.

"Ah, Xiao Wen, Happy New Year!"

Wu Xiao glanced around. Wen Liang was obviously very familiar to him, but... this other person present...

Why is there another girl next to this young CEO He?
The bodyguard had some doubts, but seeing the three of them getting along so well and even putting up couplets together, he figured they probably weren't as troublesome as that Miss Yu from last time... right?

"Who is this……?"

Cao Aiqing's gaze shifted between Wu Xiao and Wen Liang. It was obvious that the other party was He Tianran's neighbor, but why would He Tianran's neighbor know Wen Liang? Could it be that the other party had visited many times in private, and even the neighbor could recognize him?
"Ah, Ai Qing, this must be your first time meeting Brother Wu, right?"

After He Tianran finished pasting the couplets, he jumped off the stool, clapped his hands, and introduced:

"This is Brother Wu Xiao, my current bodyguard. Since he usually drives for me, I arranged for him to stay next door. By the way, Brother Wu, weren't you supposed to be taking your wife and daughter back to your hometown this morning? Why are you back?"

Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't say what you shouldn't say. This was the only thing He Tianran asked Wu Xiao to do. So, the old man simply nodded slightly to Cao Aiqing, handed the gift box to He Tianran, and said:

"Mr. He, it's my fault for not being careful enough. I only realized this when my wife reminded me this morning. It's the New Year, and you've given me work and a red envelope, but I didn't even have time to wish you a Happy New Year before I left. So I bought some things to bring back. Happy New Year, Mr. He, please take these."

"Oh, you..."

He Tianran took it; the package contained cigarettes, alcohol, and tea.

"I know you don't need these, Mr. He, but they're all just a token of my appreciation, please don't mind. My wife and daughter are waiting for me in the car downstairs. I came all this way specifically to wish you a Happy New Year. I still have to go see Brother Wen later, so I can't stay any longer..."

After Wu Xiao finished speaking, he was about to leave. To be honest, even if no one was waiting for him downstairs, with He Tianran surrounded by two women, any smart person wouldn't dare to stay any longer...

"Brother Wu, please wait."

He Tianran called out to Wu Xiao, quickly went inside to put down the gifts, and returned with several red envelopes in his hand.

"Are you giving these to your sister-in-law or my eldest niece...?"

"Oh, this..."

Wu Xiao looked embarrassed. The red envelope He Tianran had given him earlier was already quite large, and now that he was being given another one, he certainly couldn't accept it again. So, following the New Year's custom, the two of them pushed and pulled each other for a while, and in the end, Wu Xiao, persuaded by Wen Liang, put the red envelope into his pocket.

Wen Liang escorted Wu Xiao to the elevator. It seemed that she had just overheard him saying that he was going to his father's place, which triggered the girl's crisis alarm. Naturally, she had to take a few minutes to check on her sneaking back. Wu Xiao had just received a red envelope from He Tianran, so it was a good opportunity for him to feel obligated to help her.

During the brief moment the two were apart, Cao Aiqing asked He Tianran alone:
"Have you been in any danger lately? Did Wen Liang find this bodyguard for you?"

"They're mainly here to keep an eye on me and prevent me from having another attack like last time. You can't be by my side all the time. Brother Wu is Wen Liang's father's comrade-in-arms, so the two are very familiar with each other."

After packing his things, He Tianran picked up a stool and began to explain.

The girl nodded. Prevention is always a good thing, and she suggested:
"Or, you could give me your bodyguard's contact information too. I'll save it. Wen Liang is filming outside, so if anything happens to you, he'll know who to contact."

"Okay, my phone is inside. I'll tell him about your situation later."

He Tianran was about to enter the house, but Cao Aiqing stood still, instead extending her left hand with her palm facing upwards and a smile on her lips, looking at him. Her meaning was all too clear.

"Ah~ Haha..."

The man slapped his forehead, put down the stool, pulled out a red envelope, placed it in the girl's hand, and said some auspicious words:
"Happy New Year~"

The girl's smile remained unchanged. In front of He Tianran, she took the red envelope with her right hand and hid it behind her back, while her fair left hand remained open, and she bent her fingers slightly to indicate that it wasn't enough.

"May all your wishes come true."

not enough.

"good luck."

not enough.

"Uh...May you have a long and peaceful life."

not enough.

"Wishing you prosperity and good fortune, may you receive a lucky money packet; may you handle everything with ease, and be absolutely stunning!"

Finally, He Tianran recited a Cantonese rhyme and stuffed all the red envelopes into the other person's hands. Cao Aiqing finally beamed with joy, flipping through the stacks of red envelopes in her hands like turning the pages of a book. She then heard the man say with a hint of distress:
"I've given you all the red envelopes I prepared, so I won't have any to give out when Wenliang comes back later..."

Cao Aiqing looked up and silently put the red envelope away.

"If she asks you for it, tell her to come to me."

"..."

He Tianran was speechless. He wouldn't dare to do that, and could only think that he would secretly buy a few more later...

The two were safe at the doorway and were about to enter when they heard the elevator in the stairwell sound again, followed by a cool, slightly amplified questioning voice:

"Yu Naoqiu?! What brings you here?"

"Warm or cool?"

He Tianran and Cao Aiqing locked eyes, and the atmosphere suddenly changed.

At the other end, in the elevator lobby.

Wen Liang had just finished rehearsing her lines with Wu Xiao and was seeing him off downstairs when she turned around and bumped into Yu Naoqiu, who was just walking out of the elevator. After what happened on the rooftop of the Bulgari Hotel in Shanghai, these two women clearly understood what role the other was playing next to He Tianran.

"What, can't I come? I'd like to ask you why you're here." Upon seeing Wen Liang, Yu Naoqiu's already somewhat world-weary face became even more gloomy.

Wen Liang knew that it was not advisable for Cao Aiqing to meet with Yu Naoqiu now, as this would completely expose He Tianran's plan. Therefore, she had to delay for a while so that the two people at the door could act quickly. However, in this whole scene, there were some things that Cao Aiqing could not do or could not do; but Wen Liang, the canary kept by He Tianran in Yu Naoqiu's eyes, had no worries at all.

"Miss Yu, isn't the reason I'm here the same as the reason you're here now? There's no point in asking a question you already know the answer to."

Wen Liang stood with her arms crossed, leaning casually against the wall, her long legs outstretched, blocking Yu Naoqiu's path.

She slightly raised her chin, and although she had taken off her sunglasses and hung them on her collar, her aura of a superstar looking down on everyone else was still at its maximum.

Yu Naoqiu stared at Wen Liang, the contempt and disdain in his eyes turning into a soft laugh:
"The same? Wen Liang, you should know your place. You're an actress used by men for entertainment, a vase for people to admire, a canary kept in a cage. You dare to say 'the same' in front of me?"

"Um--?"

Instead of getting angry, Wen Liang seemed to have heard a joke and let out a long, amused sound through her nose.

She straightened up and walked step by step to Yu Naoqiu. She stretched out her finger and flirtatiously touched Yu Naoqiu's somewhat dull collar. The latter frowned, equally unyielding, and looked at Wen Liang as if she were two nails.

Wen Liang, determined to use the identity given to her, decided to thoroughly disgust the other party. She said in a sarcastic tone:
"Miss Yu, since we're all vixens, stop playing these ghost stories. You and I both know perfectly well why He Tianran broke up with Cao Aiqing. I won't interfere with your business plans, and you shouldn't disturb our lovey-dovey moments, okay? You can't possibly want both money and your partner, can you? You've taken all the benefits, so what does He Tianran want from you? Does he want your gloomy appearance? Or does he want your perpetually smug face that looks like everyone owes you eight million?"

"You—!" Yu Naoqiu's face changed drastically when his sore spot was hit.

"Don't be so quick to glare at me."

Wen Liang interrupted her, her eyes instantly turning sharp as knives:

"He's told me everything about you, and you still call me a canary? Don't be ridiculous~ In his eyes, to put it nicely, you two are just a fake couple who don't need any emotional foundation but are just going to have a business marriage and live together as a couple; to put it bluntly, you're just a stepping stone. What, after being a stepping stone for so long, you really think you're the mistress?"

"Wen Liang!" Yu Naoqiu gritted his teeth, his voice shrill. "How long do you think you can be so smug? I've seen plenty of actors like you. When he really gets his share of the profits, you'll be the first one to be dumped!"

"Well, I'm better than you now."

Wen Liang not only didn't back down, but instead leaned close to Yu Naoqiu's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, feigning coquettishness:
“At least now I’m pampered by him. I can come whenever I want, and if I want him to spend the New Year with me, he has to. And what about you? You come here during the New Year, only to be met with indifference, and you have to put up with my 'golden canary' attitude. Aren’t you angry? Don’t you want to hit me?”

She took a step back, leaned against the wall again, a victor's smile on her face, and pointed to her beautiful face:
“Come on, hit me here. I’m also looking to make headlines. The title will be ‘A wealthy woman abandoned by her husband gets angry and slaps a popular actress.’ We’ll see if Director He feels sorry for you, this rock, or for me, this little bird.”

Yu Naoqiu's body was trembling slightly.

She never expected that this female celebrity, who was nothing more than a pretty face, would dare to play such shameless tricks on her.

Moreover, Wen Liang could afford to gamble, but Yu Naoqiu couldn't.

The alliance has been established, and she now needs to maintain this image of a "sensible and capable" ally in front of He Tianran, rather than a shrew who throws a tantrum in public.

"Alright, stop standing there."

Wenliang yawned like a lazy ragdoll cat, turned aside, and made way for the loser, as if it were a favor to the loser.

"Since you're so eager to humiliate yourself, I'll grant your wish. But let me warn you, if you go in looking so dejected and spoil He Tianran's mood, I'll be clapping from the sidelines."

Yu Naoqiu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, and resumed his arrogant and indifferent demeanor.

"Wen Liang, remember what you said today. You'd better have the last laugh."

She coldly uttered those words, then walked past Wen Liang with her head held high, as if her earlier lapse in composure had never occurred.

"I remember, I remember," Wen Liang waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.

As Wen Liang watched Yu Naoqiu's figure disappear around the corner, the arrogance on his face vanished instantly, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

Hopefully, He Tianran has taken this time to make proper arrangements for Cao Aiqing and won't give himself away.

After thinking it over, Wen Liang straightened her clothes, put on her innocent and sweet smile again, and even hummed a little tune as she slowly followed behind Yu Naoqiu.

At the door, He Tianran was standing next to a bench, holding a half-used piece of tape in his hand, watching Yu Naoqiu walk over aggressively, and Wen Liang following behind as if nothing had happened.

"Nao Nao? What brings you here?"

The man feigned surprise, but his eyes involuntarily glanced towards Wu Xiao's room next door.

"Come and see you."

Yu Naoqiu walked up to him, his gaze lingering on He Tianran for a moment before glancing at the newly pasted couplets on either side of the door. The characters on the left and right couplets were neat, but the wild horizontal inscription that read "Coolness in the Human World" was clearly not from the same person.

"This handwriting... doesn't seem like your style."

"Ah, this was written by Wen Liang."

He Tianran quickly shifted the blame, and then gave Wen Liang a wink behind him.

"How is it? Isn't it very artistic?"

Wen Liang stepped forward and naturally took He Tianran's arm, practically pressing her body against him, looking at Yu Naoqiu provocatively:
"I knew Director He's house was too cold and quiet. We need to put up some vibrant things to ward off certain... yin energy."

Yu Naoqiu's eye twitched slightly. Ignoring Wen Liang's provocation, he took the initiative and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

She headed straight for the house: "I need to confirm the details of my visit to your house on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and my father's birthday on the eighth day."

"Wow, how come someone would still be 'assigning tasks' during the Lunar New Year?"

"Hey, baby, stop talking so much, let's talk about serious matters."

Wen Liang was still mocking them when He Tianran suddenly interrupted her. Now, not only did Yu Naoqiu, who had been walking past them, abruptly turn around with eyes that seemed to want to gouge someone out, but even Wen Liang felt like she was hallucinating. She blinked several times before finally managing to control her emotions, forcing herself to shake He Tianran's arm in a tone that could kill, and said in a coquettish voice:

"Okay then, I'll watch TV by myself for a while. Don't keep me waiting too long, okay?"

Yu Naoqiu couldn't bear to watch the hypocritical act of the two scoundrels and went into the living room on his own.

The two were still standing at the door. Wen Liang's hand, which was holding He Tianran's arm, was digging her thumb and forefinger into the crook of his arm. She lowered her voice and said fiercely:

"Let's see how you act this time. Baby, my foot! If you mess this up, I'll beat you until you're begging for your mother's attention! You can forget about hotpot tonight; you'll be eating nothing but air!"

He Tianran's face turned red with pain, but he still nodded with a smile, afraid that Yu Naoqiu would turn around and find something was wrong.

With a loud "bang," the "two-person comedy" inside the house was about to turn into a more complex "three-person act," while Cao Aiqing, hiding in Wu Xiao's room just a wall away, quietly watched the commotion through the monitor, becoming the only sober audience member in this grand drama. (End of this chapter)