I agreed to be a kept man, but I'm still being punished by the system.

Only Lin Yang and He Xiaoya remained at the tea table by the floor-to-ceiling window, creating an awkward atmosphere.

At this moment, He Xiaoya's attention was completely focused on Lin Yang. Her big, anime-girl-like eyes were staring at him intently, as if scanning for something suspicious.

Her gaze finally settled on the black suit he was wearing.

She watched for a while, her brows furrowing slightly, and she unconsciously leaned closer, her nose almost touching Lin Yang's shoulder.

Lin Yang froze, feeling somewhat uncomfortable at her sudden action.

"Xiaoya, what are you doing? Are you seeing a ghost?"

He Xiaoya did not answer, but instead stretched out her fingers and gently rubbed the fabric of his suit sleeve, feeling its delicate texture.

She looked up, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"Where did you get that suit?"

Lin Yang's heart skipped a beat, but he had to maintain a calm expression.

"I bought it myself."

He lied, trying to make his voice sound natural.

Upon hearing this, He Xiaoya scoffed, her eyes clearly saying, "You're kidding me."

"Do you have money?"

Her question was as blunt as a knife.

"Can you afford this suit? It's from Zegna's haute couture collection. Did you know this suit costs more than a month's salary for you?"

Lin Yang's expression froze instantly.

They saw right through me.

He didn't know how to continue the story. He couldn't very well say that Su Man had "rewarded" him yesterday morning for his outstanding performance the night before.

Seeing his embarrassed state, He Xiaoya's suspicion deepened.

She continued, "This suit is exactly the same style as the one I ordered for President Su before."

As she spoke, she glanced deliberately in the direction where Su Man was making the call, and the meaningful look in her eyes sent chills down Lin Yang's spine.

Lin Yang thought to himself: Su Man, Su Man, you even let your secretary handle such a small matter as ordering a suit. Now look what's happened! Our little secrets are about to be discovered by your Secretary He! I haven't even had a chance to enjoy this gigolo relationship, and it's already going to fall apart?

Just as Lin Yang's brain went blank, pondering whether to play dumb or confess for leniency, Su Man finished her phone call and returned.

As soon as she returned, she sensed that something was off about the atmosphere at the tea table.

"What's wrong?"

She asked, her gaze sweeping between the two men.

He Xiaoya, like a primary school student who had found her pillar of support, stood up and asked without any hesitation.

"President Su, was that Zegna suit you asked me to order last time for Lin Yang?"

This question was earth-shattering.

Even Suman was taken aback by this sudden, direct question.

But she was, after all, Suman.

That brief moment of surprise lasted less than a second before her expression returned to its usual calm.

"no."

She denied it readily and decisively, then immediately changed the subject.

"Didn't I ask Lin Yang to be my driver?"

She looked Lin Yang up and down in a matter-of-fact tone.

"He wears that wrinkled T-shirt he found somewhere, or that yellowed white shirt, every day. It looks awful and it affects my mood."

She walked over to Lin Yang, reached out to straighten his shoulders, and patted his back, her movements as natural as if she had rehearsed them countless times.

"I gave him this suit, and it actually fit him quite well."

She explained it casually, and then gave He Xiaoya new instructions.

"Order another set for me tomorrow; I need to give one away as a gift."

Finally, she offered a solution that completely dispelled He Xiaoya's doubts.

"By the way, the cost of this suit will be deducted from his salary, five thousand a month, until it's paid out."

Upon hearing this, all of He Xiaoya's doubts vanished.

Yes, this is the Mr. Su she knows.

Strict, demanding, and with a clear distinction between public and private matters.

Making the driver dress presentably is for her own sake. Deducting the cost of the clothes from her salary is perfectly reasonable.

"Okay, no problem, Ms. Su."

He Xiaoya readily agreed.

Lin Yang was in a bad mood. You're fine, but I'm the one with the problem!

His heart was bleeding.

Five thousand yuan! It's being deducted every month, and I don't know when it will stop.

Damn capitalists! I worked so hard, through sheer hard work, and you still want kickbacks? You're just taking advantage of me, aren't you?!

Seeing Lin Yang's constipated expression yet his reluctance to refute, Su Man nodded in satisfaction.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Lin Yang immediately shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.

"No objections!"

"That's settled then." Su Man nodded in satisfaction, then said to He Xiaoya, "Xiaoya, could you please make the trip?"

He Xiaoya immediately waved her hand.

"No trouble at all, Mr. Su, please feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything."

"It's alright, let's go downstairs to eat, it's on me."

Su Man glanced at her watch.

"Lin Yang, after we finish eating, will you drive me to the Junfu Hotel?"

After giving her instructions, she picked up her handbag and tapped a few times on her phone.

Ding dong.

He Xiaoya's phone rang with a crisp notification sound. She looked down and her eyes lit up instantly.

A WeChat red envelope containing 1000 yuan.

Her face immediately lit up with a smile. The detective's sharpness she had just displayed was instantly washed away by the joy of money. She sweetly called out to Su Man's retreating figure, "Thank you, President Su! You're so kind, President Su!"

The three of them found an elegantly decorated Hong Kong-style tea restaurant downstairs from the company.

They found a seat by the window and the three of them sat down.

A waitress came up and handed me the menu.

"What would you three like to eat?"

Su Man took the menu and started looking at it.

"Three cups of Hong Kong-style milk tea, one pork chop bun set meal, one curry fish ball, one egg waffle, and six egg tarts."

After ordering, she handed the menu to He Xiaoya.

"Xiaoya, take a look and see what kind of staple food you'd like to eat."

After looking at it, He Xiaoya said, "I want a black pepper chicken noodle soup."

Then she handed the menu to Lin Yang.

Lin Yang took the menu, thinking, "Since they deducted my salary, I have to eat my money's worth."

"One roast duck rice, one stir-fried beef noodles, and one wonton noodle soup. All large portions."

"Damn, Lin Yang, you ordered so much! Can you even finish it all?"

He Xiaoya said to Lin Yang in shock.

"No problem, I work out, I can handle this much food."

"Hehe, you're not working out, you just want to eat your money's worth, right? You just had five thousand yuan deducted from your bill."

Lin Yang wasn't angry that He Xiaoya had seen through his intentions; after all, only those with thick skin could get by.

"Mind your own business, it's not like you're treating us."

"Hey!" He Xiaoya looked at Su Man, "President Su, aren't you going to do something about him? This kid needs to be taught a lesson."

Su Man watched the two bickering and covered her mouth to chuckle. "It's okay, boys are still growing, it's good for them to eat more."

Hearing Su Man speaking up for him, and seeing her smug expression, He Xiaoya was so angry she wanted to hit her.

Before long, all the dishes were served.

Lin Yang was dumbfounded when he saw the roast duck rice, stir-fried beef noodles, and wonton noodles in front of him.

Is the large portion that big?

When He Xiaoya saw the two large plates and one large bowl, she said with schadenfreude, "Remember to pack them up later, you can reheat them and eat them tonight."

Lin Yang stopped arguing and began to eat heartily.

Before long, Su Man and He Xiaoya were drinking their silk stocking milk tea, watching with great interest as Lin Yang showed off the food in front of him.

After the meal, the three parted ways at the restaurant entrance.

He Xiaoya accepted the red envelope and happily took a taxi to go shopping and have fun with her friends.

Lin Yang, with his pregnant belly protruding, sat in the driver's seat of the black Volvo S90.

Seeing his state, Su Man in the passenger seat also felt a little sorry for him.

"Why don't you take a break? There's no rush."

Lin Yang let out a long burp while looking out the window.

"It's alright, let's go."

The Volvo S90 smoothly merged into the traffic and headed towards the Junfu Hotel.