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

"Mrs?"

Bai Cheng's voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

Lin Qingmian snapped out of her daze, her face slightly flushed: "What's wrong?"

"The meeting is over," Bai Cheng reminded her with a smile.

Lin Qingmian looked up and saw that the conference room door was indeed open.

Several senior executives came out, each with a tired and tense expression on their face.

The last one to emerge was Ji Linzhou.

As he walked, he looked down at the tablet in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were pondering something.

Bai Cheng quickly went to greet her: "Sir, Madam is here."

Ji Linzhou paused for a moment.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over Bai Cheng and landing on Lin Qingmian, who was standing at the office door.

The woman was wearing a cream-colored knitted sweater, her hair was loose over her shoulders, and she was holding a light blue thermos in her hand, standing there quietly.

Seeing him, a faint smile appeared on her face: "Are you done with your work?"

Ji Linzhou's eyes flickered slightly, and a fleeting emotion flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He quickly regained his indifferent expression, handed the tablet to Bai Cheng, and strode towards the office.

"Why are you here?"

As he walked, he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, his voice soft.

Bai Cheng said you're too busy to come home for dinner.

Lin Qingmian followed him into the office and placed the thermos on the coffee table: "I made you a meal, eat it while it's hot."

Ji Linzhou sat down on the sofa and looked up at her.

The woman was bending down to open the thermos and skillfully taking out and arranging the dishes one by one.

Her fingers were slender and fair, with neatly trimmed nails. Although she wasn't wearing nail polish, they had a natural beauty.

Ji Linzhou's gaze lingered on her fingers for a moment before shifting away: "You did this?"

"Um."

As she bent down to set out the food, her body leaned forward, and a strand of hair slipped from her shoulder and fell to the side of her face.

Ji Linzhou stared at that strand of hair for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and tucked it behind her ear.

The man's warm fingertips brushed against her earlobe, bringing a tingling sensation.

Lin Qingmian froze.

She looked up and met Ji Linzhou's deep eyes.

The atmosphere in the office suddenly became ambiguous.

The man's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then slowly moved down to her lips.

He reached out, grabbed her waist, and pulled her towards him.

Lin Qingmian lost her balance and fell into his arms.

The tip of my nose was filled with his crisp, clean scent, mixed with a faint smell of tobacco.

Her heart raced, her cheeks burned, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around his shirt.

Ji Linzhou lowered his head, his thin lips close to hers, their breaths mingling.

"Well……"

Lin Qingmian closed her eyes, thinking he was going to kiss her.

But the man's lips stopped just a centimeter away from hers.

His eyes darkened, and his voice was low and husky: "Speak, you've specially prepared a meal to come see me... what do you want from me?"

Lin Qingmian's heart sank; he had actually seen through her.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and met his gaze: "Ji Linzhou."

"Could you... pretend to be engaged to Su Tingwan for a while?"

The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly.

Ji Linzhou's fingers, which were clasped around her waist, froze. The thin layer of desire in his eyes faded away, as if extinguished by ice water.

The man's gaze was fixed on her intently, his voice low and menacing, as if squeezed from his chest: "Are you sure?"

Lin Qingmian's heart clenched suddenly.

The woman lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and said in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "I'm sure."

The air in the office seemed to have been sucked out, making it so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Lin Qingmian could hear her own heartbeat, as well as the steady, powerful heartbeat in his chest.

"Have your husband pretend to be engaged to another woman."

Ji Linzhou finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice: "What are you thinking?"

He withdrew his fingers from her waist, leaned back on the sofa, and distanced himself from her.

Those deep eyes stared at her coldly, as if scrutinizing a stranger.

Lin Qingmian bit her lip, forcing herself to look up and meet his gaze: "This is good for everyone."

"I don't want the Ji family to make things difficult for me and the Lin family again because of our ambiguous relationship in the past."

She paused, her voice strained, "The Ji family said that as long as I get you to agree, they won't hold it against you anymore."

"Just for this?"

Ji Linzhou's lips curled slightly upwards, but it wasn't a smile; rather, it carried a hint of mockery: "You're going to let your husband pretend to be engaged to another woman?"

"Lin Qingmian, do you even consider me your husband?"

Lin Qingmian gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, her knuckles turning white: "I..."

She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to utter any words of defense.

She naturally regarded him as her husband.

But she also knew that for him, this marriage was just a transaction, just a business deal.

Because she had no feelings for him, she didn't want to cause him any more trouble.

As long as she remains in Rongcheng, her family of origin will entangle her like leeches, sucking her blood; if they can't suck her blood, they'll suck theirs.

It's better for everyone to keep their secret marriage a secret for now.

In case... he and Su Tingwan rekindle their old flame, she can divorce him without any regrets, leave this place, and never come back.

Ji Linzhou stared at her for a long time.

Those deep eyes seemed to see right through her, into the depths of her soul.

Lin Qingmian felt uncomfortable under his gaze, but dared not look away.

After a long silence, the man gave a cold laugh: "Fine."

His voice was indifferent and devoid of any warmth: "Since this is your request, your idea, I agree."

Lin Qingmian's heart sank slightly.

He agreed, but she wasn't as happy as she had imagined...

"but."

Ji Linzhou stood up, bent down and put the untouched food on the coffee table back into the thermos, then pushed the thermos in front of Lin Qingmian: "Take it."

Lin Qingmian stared blankly at the thermos, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

She spent two hours preparing these dishes.

I cut my finger while chopping vegetables, and hot oil splattered on the back of my hand while braising beef; it still hurts a little.

She originally wanted him to try it.

She wondered if he would show the same satisfied expression when he ate the food she cooked, just like he would when eating food from the Imperial Kitchen.

But now...

"Take it."

Seeing that she didn't move, Ji Linzhou repeated himself, his voice even colder.

Lin Qingmian bit her lip, reached out, and hugged the thermos to her chest.

The lid of the thermos wasn't closed tightly, and steam was escaping from the gaps, blurring her vision.

She didn't leave.

She didn't know why she hadn't left yet.

Perhaps she wanted to wait for him to say something more, or perhaps she wanted to explain a few more words.

But Ji Linzhou didn't look at her again.

The man picked up his phone from the desk, tapped the screen a few times with his slender fingers, and then held the phone to his ear.

The call was answered quickly.

"Miss Su."

His voice was indifferent and calm, as if he were merely discussing a business deal: "Are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together."