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

Wednesday's workday drew to a close with a subtle sense of relaxation.

After finishing his slacking off, Lin Yang drove his dark blue Cayenne and smoothly took Su Man back to the Junfu Hotel.

The car came to a stop under the hotel porch. Su Man unbuckled her seatbelt. This time, she didn't try to stop him as usual. She just turned her head and glanced at his crisp suit collar.

"Your injury hasn't healed yet, remember to apply medicine when you get back."

Her voice still carried the warmth of a command, but lacked the sharpness of the daytime.

Lin Yang nodded and responded with an "Mm".

He watched the tall, capable figure disappear behind the hotel revolving door before turning his car around and merging into the dazzling nightscape of Huahai City.

The car glided silently, and he returned to apartment 2403, Building 32, Tianyue Huafu.

Lin Yang opened the security door with his key and casually tossed his car keys onto the cabinet in the entryway.

The living room lights were off, only Zhang Wei's room was lit, accompanied by a series of loud, clattering sounds like raindrops hitting banana leaves on a keyboard.

"Hey Wei, how's your writing going today?"

The sound of the keyboard in the study suddenly stopped, and a head popped out, looking at Zhang Wei in front of the computer.

"Sigh, don't even mention it." Zhang Wei rubbed his eyes, looking haggard. "I'm running two courses at the same time, and I just can't keep up. One is doing okay, but the other... I guess I'll have to fail it."

Lin Yang leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.

"What kind of garbage book did you write? Send me the title, and I'll send you some gifts when I have time."

"No need for gifts." Zhang Wei waved his hand and walked out of the study with a sincere look on his face. "You've already done me a great favor by letting me stay here."

He looked Lin Yang up and down.

"Hey, why are you leaving get off work so early today?"

"Not much going on at work," Lin Yang replied succinctly, then changed the subject with a mysterious smile, "Hey, do you know who called me today?"

"Who is it?" Zhang Wei's curiosity was piqued.

Lin Yang kept everyone in suspense.

"you guess?"

"Fine, don't tell me then." Zhang Wei pursed his lips and turned back to typing.

"It's Gu Dandan."

Lin Yang casually uttered the name.

Zhang Wei's gaze suddenly stopped, and he abruptly turned his head, his eyes wide like copper bells.

"Huh? How did she get your phone number?"

Lin Yang looked at him with an expression as if he were an idiot.

"She doesn't even have this much reasoning ability, and she's writing novels? Of course, Zhou Qing gave it to her."

Zhang Wei was taken aback, his face flushed, and he scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"None of your business."

"She also invited me to visit her university on Saturday," Lin Yang continued, dropping another bombshell.

Zhang Wei's expression instantly changed from surprise to envy, jealousy, and hatred. He sprang up from his seat and rushed forward.

"I'm going too! They're all old classmates, it's not easy for us to get together at Huahai, how can I be left out!"

Lin Yang pushed him away in disgust.

"Are you going to be a third wheel? This is a private date between her and me. You stay home and focus on your writing, and strive to become a master writer soon."

"grass!"

Zhang Wei cursed, pointed at Lin Yang's nose, and was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Only one thought was swirling wildly in his mind.

That brat Xiaolin, how come he's so lucky!

Suddenly, as if he had thought of some ultimate move, a sinister smile appeared on his face.

"Xiao Lin, I'm going to tell Chen Wanjun about you asking your female classmate out!"

Lin Yang's smile remained unchanged, even carrying a hint of pity.

"Go ahead and see if she dares to talk to you."

"grass."

Zhang Wei was knocked out again with a single blow and completely deflated.

Lin Yang patted him on the shoulder and changed the subject.

"Hey, Wei-ge, have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet," Zhang Wei replied listlessly.

"Is there any food in the refrigerator?"

"Yes, I usually buy enough groceries for several days and put them in the refrigerator."

"Then I'll go cook first," Lin Yang said as he walked towards the kitchen. "Chen Wanjun hasn't eaten yet either. I'll call her over to eat with us when it's ready."

Zhang Wei responded with an "oh".

Lin Yang once again demonstrated his rudimentary cooking skills, which he had received as a reward from the system.

He remembered that he hadn't used the skill selection option from the last time. He decided to wait and see how things went and not rush into it.

Half an hour later, three dishes and a soup were served on the table.

The scrambled eggs with tomatoes are golden and glossy, the stir-fried bok choy with minced garlic is bright green, and there's a plate of crispy pan-fried pork ribs, served with a bowl of steaming tofu and fish ball soup.

The rich aroma instantly filled the entire living room.

"Brother Wei, go get your food. I'll go call Wanjun."

"Oh," Zhang Wei replied, but his eyes were fixed on the dishes on the table, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Lin Yang walked to the opposite door and skillfully entered a string of numbers into the combination lock.

"Click".

The door opened.

The soft sound of keyboard typing could be heard from inside the study.

Lin Yang walked to the door of the study.

"Wanjun, dinner's ready."

The keyboard noise stopped immediately. Chen Wanjun took off her huge noise-canceling headphones, turned around and saw Lin Yang. Her eyes, which always seemed timid, suddenly lit up with a bright light.

"oh."

She obediently responded and immediately got up to follow him out; her ankle injury had almost completely healed.

This was Chen Wanjun's second time eating in room 2403, and she no longer felt the unease she had the first time.

Although she would still subconsciously lower her head and purse her lips when she saw Zhang Wei, unable to utter a single word, at least she could sit calmly at the dining table.

Zhang Wei picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in his mouth.

The aroma of the ribs and their tender, juicy interior exploded on his taste buds, and the perfect balance of salty and savory flavors made his eyes light up.

He shoveled another mouthful of rice onto a plate of sweet and sour scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

"Holy crap!" Zhang Wei exclaimed, his mouth stuffed full, "Xiao Lin, your cooking skills...did you take a course at New Oriental?"

Lin Yang just smiled and put a piece of bok choy on Chen Wanjun's plate.

Chen Wanjun didn't seem surprised. She had eaten Lin Yang's cooking countless times before, and she ate in small bites with obvious satisfaction on her face.

At the dinner table, only Lin Yang and Zhang Wei were chatting.

They chatted about embarrassing moments from high school to interesting stories from university, creating a lively and relaxed atmosphere.

Chen Wanjun sat quietly to the side, listening like a beautiful cat that blended into the family atmosphere. Although she didn't participate, she was an indispensable part of the scene.

After dinner, Lin Yang cleaned up the dishes, took a shower, and then naturally walked to the apartment across the hall.

He was going to Chen Wanjun's place to ask her to apply medicine for him. The bruises on his body had faded a lot and he was no longer in as much pain as he had been a couple of days ago.

***

The next two days passed leisurely and regularly.

As Su Man's personal assistant, Lin Yang's work at the company became less demanding. After the overseas inspection plan was submitted, Su Man also relaxed her pace for the first time, spending most of her time in the office handling routine matters.

The property management company has already hired a construction team to start repairs on the houses in Tianheng Garden.

Lin Yang's life was divided into several distinct parts.

During the day, he is a capable assistant to the director of the hair care division of Enwei Group, driving a Cayenne to pick up and drop off Suman from get off work in an orderly manner.

That evening, he returned to Tianyue Huafu and transformed into a stay-at-home husband, preparing dinner for Chen Wanjun and Zhang Wei. Then, in room 2404, he enjoyed the girl's gentle care, feeling her cool fingertips lightly applying ointment to the bruises on his body.

And so, two days passed in a leisurely yet slightly taboo manner.

The Saturday he had been waiting for finally arrived.