After the breakup, I was taken in by a group of trendy young women.

Wang Xiaoying's forehead rested on Lin Ye's knee, her hair, which had been tied up, was loose over her shoulder, and her hair clip was lying somewhere on the floor mat.

Her breathing was rapid and erratic, and the remaining lipstick on her lips smeared onto his knee, leaving a blurry, dusty rose-colored mark.

She was fully aware of her physical condition—don't be fooled by her high-flying office lady persona, how she always wore high heels and acted like a manager, silencing the entire department with her scolding.

But after Lin Ye pointed his finger at her and berated her in the mall corridor yesterday, she felt like a turtle that had been flipped over. The shell was still there, but the softest and most unguarded side was completely exposed to the air.

She couldn't bring herself to hate him. She had tried. Last night, she took three cold showers and mentally listed more than a dozen of Lin Ye's crimes—disrespecting his superiors, abandoning his post, verbally abusing his superiors in public, and bringing a group of shady characters to her house to use her coffee machine.

Each of these points is enough for her to send him a termination notice when she goes to work on Monday.

But after listing each item, images of him pinching her fingers, staring at her lips, and calling her "spoiled" would automatically pop into her mind.

Then she had to take another cold shower.

She fell in love with the feeling.

It wasn't that she had fallen in love with Lin Ye as a person—she wasn't sure if it was love.

What she fell in love with was the feeling of being suppressed, the humiliation and pleasure of being held captive and unable to move by someone younger, stronger, and completely unyielding to her ways.

She had never experienced this feeling in her twenty-eight years of life.

From childhood to adulthood, she has always been the best—student council president, outstanding graduate, and the company's youngest department manager.

Everyone fawned over her, worshipped her, feared her, and tried to please her.

Only Lin Ye dared to call her a pretty face.

Her face, buried in Lin Ye's knees, burned again. She bit her lower lip, her breath seeping through his casual shorts and onto his kneecaps.

She lifted her face off his knees and looked up at him.

After her hair was loosened, her face looked much softer than usual.

She nuzzled her chin against his knee and spoke in a soft, almost coquettish tone she had never used before: "You just said—you're welcome—and you still said—"

Lin Ye removed his feet from her knees, sat up straight again, and reached out to pinch her chin, lifting her face up.

He forced her to look him in the eye.

Her eyes were red and swollen with tears, and her lipstick was completely smeared, covering her mouth and chin.

He held her chin, forcing her to look up, but her eyes didn't look away—they weren't filled with resentment, but with longing, something that had been suppressed for too long and was finally being released.

"Linye."

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzzing, and her fingers gripped the fabric of his trousers at his knees, her knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.

"I...can I...?"

Lin Ye looked down at her.

She knelt on the foot mat, two buttons on her suit jacket undone during her earlier movement, revealing the collar of her white shirt underneath.

She tilted her head back, her lips moved for a long time, and finally squeezed out a complete sentence from her throat.

She was stunned for a moment after saying those words, and then her whole body turned red from her neck to her forehead.

"I will satisfy you—"

As soon as those words entered Lin Ye's ears, the cold, electronic voice in his mind exploded precisely on time.

[Ding—The McDonald's system has detected that the target individual "Wang Xiaoying" has voluntarily submitted, and the bond level has exceeded the threshold.]

[Wang Xiaoying's Bond Level: Unwavering Devotion (Confirmed) → Willing to Fall (Newly Unlocked)]

[Explanation of the "Willing to Succumb" effect: This individual has completely abandoned any resistance mechanisms and no longer has any psychological defenses against the host's behavior. When "Willing to Succumb" is triggered, the McDonald's system efficiency increases by 30%.]

[Passive effect: The host's command language has an additional influence bonus on this individual.]

[First-time activation bonus: The host can choose one of Wang Xiaoying's qualifications to copy or improve. Qualifications available: Professional Management (Level A), Refined Etiquette (Level B), Coffee Tasting (Level A), Scarf Tying Techniques (Level C).]

Lin Ye chuckled inwardly.

Sure enough, that's what the McDonald's system meant—it's not about ordering fast food, it's about turning every devoted girl into a spicy chicken wing.

He didn't loosen his grip on Wang Xiaoying's chin, silently reciting "Copy the Class A Professional Management Qualification" in his mind.

The system beeped, indicating that the copying was complete: "The Level A Professional Management Qualification has been integrated into the host's existing knowledge system and will not cause any conflicts. It will automatically take effect the next time you enter a work scenario."

In other words, even if he doesn't go back to work at the company now, his management skills are on par with Wang Xiaoying's.

He turned his attention away from the system panel and looked back at Wang Xiaoying.

She was still looking up at him, waiting for him to speak, her eyes overflowing with longing.

"Whether you're satisfied or not is a matter of..."

He released her chin and leaned back in his chair.

"It depends on their performance."

Wang Xiaoying lowered her head, resting her forehead on his knee, and mumbled three words: "I know."

Just then, a pink BMW MINI slowly drove into the parking lot.

The car body was an eye-catching cherry blossom pink, with a glossy black wrap on the roof and electroplated silver multi-spoke wheels. It was the most flashy car in the entire parking lot.

It turned in from the narrow path under the sycamore trees, driving very slowly, as if it were looking for a parking space.

Then it turned a corner and parked precisely in the parking space next to the white SUV where Lin Ye was.

The moment the engine shut off, the exhaust pipe emitted a muffled sputtering sound.

Lin Ye saw the car in the rearview mirror.

He hadn't seen the license plate of the pink BMW MINI before, but through the two layers of car windows and the midday sunlight, he could only make out the outline of the person in the driver's seat—he could only make out the general shoulder line and a profile of someone with their hair tied up.

Wang Xiaoying was still burying her head in his knees, completely unaware that a car was parked next door.

The pink MINI's door opened.

A foot in a pointed high heel stepped onto the cement ground first, followed by the hem of a light gray dress, and then a figure Lin Ye recognized—Zhang Xue.

She wore different clothes today than yesterday, but her makeup was still exquisitely applied, with just the right amount of intensity.

She was carrying a bag from a brand Lin Ye recognized in one hand, and holding the car keys in the other. She pressed the lock button, and the MINI emitted two crisp chimes.

She turned and took two steps toward the amusement park entrance, took her phone out of her bag, swiped her thumb across the screen, and then stopped.

Her gaze settled on the white SUV next door.

She recognized the car—it belonged to Wang Xiaoying, and she had ridden in it more than once.

But the reason she stopped wasn't because of that car.

It was the license plate number, the faded amulet on the rear window, and the familiar gray marks on the side of the car.

Then, through the SUV's tinted rear window, she could vaguely see two people inside.

Zhang Xue stood still, her phone dangling in mid-air, her brows slowly furrowing.

She bent down, trying to see what the people in the back seat were doing.

Lin Ye did not move.

He was still leaning back in his chair, legs crossed, his canvas shoes swaying in the dimly lit carriage.

He looked in the rearview mirror at Zhang Xue standing there hesitantly—she wanted to come over and knock on the car window, but she wasn't sure.

She wasn't sure if the person in the back seat was Wang Xiaoying, nor was she sure what she would see if she was.

Then, as if convincing herself it was impossible, she held the phone back to her ear, turned around, and continued walking towards the amusement park entrance, the sound of her high heels clicking on the concrete fading into the distance.

Wang Xiaoying finally lifted her head from Lin Ye's knees, with several red marks still remaining on her cheeks.

She glanced blankly out the window and only saw the direction of the amusement park entrance—Zhang Xue's figure had shrunk to a small light gray dot.

Zhang Xue came by herself.