Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

The office was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock.

Everyone stared at Ji Linzhou in a daze, as if he had said something completely impossible.

Su Tingwan's face paled instantly, and even the lipstick on her lips looked out of place.

Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, her knuckles white from clenching her fists, and the gentle, elegant shell in her voice finally shattered: "You...you're married? How is that possible?"

She took two steps forward, stood in front of Ji Linzhou, looked up at him, and her eyes quickly reddened: "You proposed to me a year ago, Ji Linzhou. You called me yourself and said you wanted to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with me to get our marriage certificate..."

"How could you possibly marry someone else so soon after proposing to me?"

Her voice trembled as she spoke, and the last syllable was almost cut off in her throat.

She tried hard to maintain her composure and poise, but her eyelashes trembled violently, and the tears welling up in her eyes were about to spill over.

Ji Linzhou looked down at her, his cold, handsome face revealing no emotion: "Why not?"

He tilted his head slightly and said in a calm voice, "Since you rejected me back then, I naturally found someone else."

Su Tingwan felt as if she had been slapped in the face. She took half a step back, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Ji Linzhou continued, his voice calm: "For me, marriage is a transaction, a business deal."

"Since you're unwilling to do this business, it's perfectly reasonable for me to find another partner."

The air in the office grew even colder.

As Lin Qingmian sat in that armchair, her fingers on the armrest involuntarily curled slightly when she heard the sentence, "For me, marriage is a transaction, a business deal."

He said the same thing a year ago in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

She was standing on the steps when the wind was strong, blowing her hair all over her face.

He stood two steps away, hands in his pockets, speaking as if discussing a normal project: "Marry me, and I'll solve your debt problems."

"I have no expectations for marriage, nor do I have the energy to cultivate a relationship."

"These are your terms. If you accept them, we'll go in and get our marriage certificate. If you don't, just pretend I was never here."

She nodded decisively at that moment, because she had nothing left.

For her, so-called "marriage" and "relationships" were nothing but ruins. What difference would it make if they were destroyed again?

But sitting in this office now, listening to him say the same words to Su Tingwan in almost the exact same tone, she felt as if her heart was being gripped by an invisible hand.

There's a dull, aching feeling in my chest that I can't seem to get rid of.

So he's like this with everyone.

Whether it's Su Tingwan or her, to him they're just names on a contract, no different from the business partners he deals with.

The woman's fingertips tightened slightly, her nails digging into her palm, leaving a faint crescent-shaped mark.

She lowered her eyelashes, suppressing those inappropriate emotions deep inside.

Su Tingwan stood there, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her bloodshot eyes were fixed on Ji Linzhou. Her lips moved several times before she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Can you tell me who she is?"

Her voice was hoarse, filled with an extreme stubbornness and resentment: "Who did you marry? I want to see her."

The air in the office seemed to have frozen solid.

Ji Linzhou's gaze shifted slightly, sweeping towards Lin Qingmian's direction.

Just as he was about to speak, a muffled "snap" sounded in the office.

Lin Qingmian's phone slipped from her hand and fell straight to the floor.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it.

Lin Qingmian bent down to pick up her phone, and when she looked up, she shook her head at Ji Linzhou.

She didn't want him to reveal her identity or acknowledge their relationship at this time.

The Lin family of three is still alive.

Once they find out that the man she married was Ji Linzhou...

They would swarm onto her like leeches, continuing to suck her blood.

After understanding her meaning, Ji Linzhou looked away and turned to Su Tingwan again: "My wife doesn't want to know you."

His voice remained cold, yet carried a resolute tone that brooked no further questioning: "I've said it before, marriage is a transaction. The two parties involved don't need social interaction, much less third-party intervention."

Su Tingwan stood there, biting her lower lip tightly, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks.

Ji Linzhou glanced at her but said nothing more. He turned around and walked towards the door: "If there's nothing else, everyone can leave. This office isn't a place for your family meetings."

"Don't let me see you causing trouble here again."

The man's words instantly turned the faces of the women in the Ji family in the office ugly.

"Linzhou!"

Finally, Old Madam Ji could no longer sit still. Leaning on her cane, she stood up and quickly chased after her to the door, shouting, "Stop right there!"

Ji Linzhou stopped and turned to look at her.

Despite her anger, Old Madam Ji's voice remained calm and composed: "Even if you're married, with the news circulating online like this, you can't just leave like this!"

"For the sake of Tingwan's career, you also need to pretend to be her boyfriend for at least six months."

She stared at Ji Linzhou, her voice pleading: "Wait until things calm down before releasing the news that you broke up peacefully. We can't let it affect Tingwan's career."

"She's a young woman, and it hasn't been easy for her to get to where she is today. You can't ruin her future..."

She paused, then emphasized, "This is also for the sake of the Ji family's reputation."

Ji Linzhou turned around, looked down at her, and a faint chill appeared on his lips: "What does her career, the Ji family's reputation, have to do with me?"

Ji Linzhou paused, a cold glint in his eyes: "Who spread those rumors online? I don't need to throw the investigation results in your faces, do I?"

"I've gotten this far thanks to my reputation as Ji Linzhou's fiancée. I'm already being more than polite by not holding it against you."

"I'm not the one who ruined her future and the Ji family's reputation."

After saying that, the man turned and left without even giving her another glance.

Standing at the door, Old Madam Ji slammed her cane heavily on the ground in anger: "Ji Linzhou!"

The man's figure had already turned past the end of the corridor, and even the sound of his footsteps was gradually fading away.

The air in the office was heavy and stuffy; everyone stood frozen in place, and no one spoke.

Old Madam Ji's face turned ashen with rage, her finger trembling as she pointed in the direction Ji Linzhou had left: "That bastard... that bastard!"

"Auntie, please don't be angry."

Su Tingwan quickly got up to help her, her eyes reddening, but she forced a gentle tone in her voice: "Lin Zhou... he may have his own reasons."

"What difficulties could he possibly have?"

Old Madam Ji snorted coldly, "He just takes after his good-for-nothing mother!"

After saying that, she turned and coldly glanced at the Lin family: "This is all the work of your Lin family!"

Lin Jianzhong and Zhang Yuzhu exchanged a glance and quickly lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Lin Qingqing rolled her eyes and fixed her gaze on Lin Qingmian.

She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mrs. Ji, please don't be angry."

"Since this matter was started by Mianmian, why don't we let Mianmian try to persuade Mr. Ji?"

As she spoke, she walked to Lin Qingmian's side and affectionately took her arm: "Mianmian and Mr. Ji are acquaintances, so Mr. Ji should listen to what she says."

"This can be considered making amends for his mistakes."

Lin Qingqing looked up at Old Madam Ji with a polite smile: "From now on, the Ji family will no longer be allowed to pursue the responsibility of Mianmian for drugging Mr. Ji and seducing him."

What do you think?