After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

Meng Changjin paused slightly as he held the cigarette between his fingers.

"Besides, you are a pure politician who values ​​long-term worth." Zhu Xun Chuan leaned forward slightly, his eyes piercing. "Fu, Shen, Gu, Jiang, you know better than I do what weight these names carry when stacked together. The Ye family's 10 billion is dead money, but what I have behind me is a living pool that can move the entire Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and even the whole country."

Zhu Xun Chuan spread his hands, his smile arrogant and frank: "This is also my bargaining chip."

The study was deathly silent for a full ten seconds.

To portray a playboy's exploitative behavior as a masterful political maneuvering is an understatement. To turn a minefield of juggling multiple relationships into a bargaining chip is audacious and shameless—a level of audacity rarely seen throughout history.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Meng Changjin suddenly burst into a hearty laugh. He stubbed out the remaining cigarette in the white jade ashtray, and the coldness in his eyes as he looked at Zhu Xunchuan vanished, replaced by undisguised admiration.

"You're arrogant! You're audacious!" Meng Changjin pointed at Zhu Xunchuan. "You really have charisma, kid. Even I, an old hand, almost fell for your tricks. As a man, I admire your boldness and methods."

The laughter subsided, and Meng Changjin changed the subject: "But you must remember, I am a politician, but more importantly, I am a father. I don't trust my daughter to a womanizer who could explode at any moment."

"Uncle Meng, the game has just started, it's not time to reveal our cards yet." Zhu Xun Chuan stood up, straightened his collar, and said, "Why don't you wait a bit? If I can't handle this situation, you can always come and overturn the table and break us up, it's not too late."

Meng Changjin remained silent for a moment, then walked around the desk and patted Zhu Xunchuan's shoulder heavily.

"Remember what you said today. Go on, Wanqing is getting impatient waiting outside." Meng Changjin warned in a deep voice, "Don't be arrogant, my investigation is not over yet. If you make a mistake in the fishpond, I will make Wanqing cut ties with you immediately, don't expect the Meng and Shen families to bail you out."

"Please wait."

Zhu Xun Chuan bowed slightly, turned around, opened the heavy oak door, and strode out.

The corridor was dimly lit.

Meng Wanqing didn't return to the side hall, but instead hid in the shadows around the corner outside the study. She was wearing an extremely form-fitting burgundy haute couture cheongsam, the fabric tightly hugging her voluptuous and mature curves. The high slit design allowed her long legs, clad in grey stockings, to be glimpsed in the shadows, exuding a deadly mature woman's charm.

Hearing the door open, she turned around abruptly, her fox-like eyes filled with deep worry.

When Meng Wanqing saw Zhu Xun Chuan walk out unharmed and looking relaxed, her tense shoulders instantly relaxed. Ignoring the servants who might pass by in the corridor at any moment, she quickly walked forward in her high heels and threw herself into Zhu Xun Chuan's arms.

A cool, sweet fragrance of a mature woman mingled with her warm body temperature, instantly filling my arms.

"My dad...didn't hit you?" Meng Wanqing buried her face in Zhu Xunchuan's chest, her voice trembling slightly, completely losing the aloof and dignified demeanor she usually displayed as the vice president of Peking University.

Zhu Xun Chuan took the opportunity to embrace her slender, supple waist, his palm gently caressing the beautiful curves of her back, feeling the amazing elasticity and warmth beneath the thin silk.

"My father-in-law is reluctant to draw his sword. After all, I have a good appetite and can eat up such a beautiful daughter of his." Zhu Xun Chuan lowered his head, leaned close to her ear, and his warm breath hit her earlobe, carrying a strong roguish air.

Meng Wanqing's ears went weak, and her initial worry instantly turned into embarrassment and annoyance. She reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Zhu Xunchuan's waist, scolding him playfully, "You're so indecent! What did my dad say to you?"

"He said I should marry you as soon as possible, so you won't ruin other decent young men in Shanghai." Zhu Xun Chuan put his arm around her and walked towards the guest room. His hand slid down her waistline and stopped at that extremely plump curve, squeezing it hard.

"Mmm..." Meng Wanqing let out a very soft moan, her body going limp. She bit her red lips, her watery eyes glaring at him: "This is my house! Don't do anything rash!"

Although she verbally resisted, she tightened her grip on Zhu Xun Chuan's arm. The stark contrast between this decisive and ruthless queen in front of others and the soft, vulnerable woman he could manipulate in his arms gave the man a thrill of conquest.

Just as the two reached the door of the guest room, Zhu Xun Chuan's cell phone vibrated again in his pocket.

Upon taking it out, I saw a red-coded encrypted file sent by my icy counselor, Gu Qinghan: "Final List of Performers for the Arts Festival".

Below this was a cold, impersonal text message: "[Are you done with your business? Don't forget the mess on campus. You must be there for the rehearsal next Monday.]"

You could practically smell the intense jealousy emanating from him through the screen. Clearly, Gu Qinghan was still resentful about Meng Wanqing using her power to lure him to Shanghai.

Zhu Xun Chuan, with one arm around Meng Wan Qing, rapidly typed a message on the screen with his right hand:

[Go back and clean up this mess. My advisor messaged me late at night; is he trying to check if I've neglected my in-depth communication skills these past few days? Get ready and hand in my assignment when I get back.]

Three seconds later, a single word popped up on the screen: 【Get lost!】

Zhu Xun Chuan chuckled and put his phone back in his pocket. The contrast between the icy demeanor and the indignation of the instructor was always a good remedy for a dull life.

late at night.

The hustle and bustle of the Meng family's old house finally subsided into tranquility.

Zhu Xunchuan was arranged to stay in a luxury room at the end of the corridor on the first floor. This was specially arranged by Meng Wanqing, ostensibly to "prevent him from wandering off in the middle of the night," but in reality, the two of them knew the truth.

The bathroom was filled with steam.

Zhu Xun Chuan took a cold shower, washing away the smell of alcohol and his fatigue. He casually grabbed a large white bath towel, wrapped it around his waist, and walked out shirtless.

The body, after systematic enhancement, has extremely smooth and symmetrical muscle lines, clearly defined abdominal muscles, and contains explosive power.

He poured himself a glass of ice water and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the enchanting night view of Shanghai unfolded, with neon lights flickering across the Huangpu River.

He took a sip of water, his mind racing with thoughts of tomorrow's confrontation with Shen Shuzhu and how to completely sever Ye Shaoqing's ties.

Just then.

"Click".

A crisp, metallic click echoed in the silent room. Someone had locked the guest room door from the outside with a key.

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyes narrowed, and his body muscles instantly went into a state of alert.

Meng Wanqing has a key, but if she were to raid the place at night, she would never lock the door, because this is her home.

A very faint sound of high heels clicking on a thick wool carpet slowly approached from the entryway.

With the sound of footsteps, a very special and aggressive perfume scent began to fill the air.

The top notes are cool cedar, but the middle notes abruptly shift to a bewitching and dangerous black datura. This fragrance, with its subtle alcoholic undertones and intense hormonal scent, is like an invisible net that instantly envelops the entire room.

Zhu Xunchuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He was all too familiar with that taste.

That's the scent of Xie Jinghong, the big boss of Jinghong Entertainment and a mysterious woman in Beijing's entertainment circle!

That shouldn't be the case, how did she end up here?