Xiao Yufan swallowed hard. Hu Yingluo’s request was a bit too much to take in—pretending to be her boyfriend? Was such a thing even doable?
“Miss, can you at least tell me why I should pretend to be your boyfriend? I find it hard to believe you don’t have any outstanding men around you. Doesn’t it lower your standards to pick me?”
“My father and stepmother keep pushing me into blind dates, and I don’t know how to deal with it, so I just told them I already had a boyfriend. Well, they insisted on meeting the future son-in-law. But where am I supposed to find a boyfriend so suddenly?”
A sudden blush spread across Hu Yingluo’s face, her fair skin tinged with a charming red hue. Even Xiao Yufan, who had seen many beautiful women before, couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.
“So you thought of me? What if I really got into character and took things further? After all, as a boyfriend, we’d have to do things fitting of that relationship, wouldn’t we?”
Quickly pulling his thoughts back, Xiao Yufan dared not imagine what might happen if he kept staring. Hu Yingluo’s outfit today had already stirred something intense within him, and with this added allure, even his usually firm self-control was faltering.
“Getting into character, huh?” Hu Yingluo’s lips curled slightly, her eyes flashing with a hint of defiance. Meeting Xiao Yufan’s deep gaze, she seemed momentarily lost in thought.
“Well, that’s not entirely out of the question… but”—she paused thoughtfully—”that depends on whether you have the capability to truly win me over!”
After a moment’s silence, her words left Xiao Yufan astonished once again. Her way of thinking was truly hard to grasp.
“Alright, let’s focus on getting through this first. But I’ve never met your father or stepmother before, so if anything goes wrong, don’t blame me!”
Xiao Yufan finally agreed. He had no good reason to refuse—it was actually a pretty good deal. It gave him a chance to get closer to the beautiful Hu Yingluo and enter her social circle.
“So you really agreed!”
Hu Yingluo looked genuinely delighted. Every suitor around her came with impressive backgrounds, yet she couldn’t quite explain why she had chosen Xiao Yufan to be her pretend boyfriend. And now that he had accepted, her heart felt warm.
“If I had refused, I’d have missed the chance to get close to such a stunning beauty. How could I possibly say no to such an exciting opportunity, right?”
With a teasing smile, Xiao Yufan lightly retorted. Though he didn’t know exactly what Hu Yingluo did, his instincts told him she wasn’t as simple as she seemed—something he could tell from the way Yu Yihan and Ma Teng reacted around her.
“Then let’s go now. Dad and my stepmother have booked a dinner tonight at Kempinski. I need to groom you a bit beforehand—tonight will definitely be a showstopper!”
Without caring about the passersby, Hu Yingluo linked arms with Xiao Yufan, leaning her body against his. The intimacy of the gesture might have seemed casual to her, but to onlookers, it was undeniably alluring.
Xiao Yufan still had some concerns. Yu Yihan had never really liked Hu Yingluo, and if she found out he was off doing something unrelated during work hours, who knew whether he’d still have a job to return to.
But faced with Hu Yingluo’s eager gaze, Xiao Yufan simply nodded. Some things were more urgent than others, and he could always explain everything to Yu Yihan later…
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the company building, Yu Yihan and Qin Menglu had witnessed everything unfold in front of the company entrance. A strange atmosphere began to fill the office.
“He’s such a pervert—can’t even behave properly during work hours. I wonder what they’re up to…”
Qin Menglu murmured with a flushed face. Of course, she had no idea what was really going on, but her imagination was already running wild—what else could a man and woman possibly be doing together?
“Flirting with different women nonstop—what a scumbag!”
Yu Yihan muttered to herself, though she dared not voice it aloud. After all, in Qin Menglu’s eyes, everything Xiao Yufan did seemed perfect. This near-idolization frustrated Yu Yihan to no end.
“Who knows what they’re off to do, but nothing good can come from a man and woman being alone together. What a shameless flirt!”
Her temper unknowingly flared, and Yu Yihan felt increasingly annoyed. After all, she had known Xiao Yufan the longest, yet now she found herself in the most awkward position. What bothered her most was the presence of other women around him.
“Didn’t you used to spend time alone with Brother Fan too, Cousin? Could anything have happened between you two? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
Qin Menglu’s moon-like eyes sparkled with playful curiosity as she looked at Yu Yihan. At this question, Yu Yihan’s face flushed instantly.
“How can those two situations even be compared? What could possibly happen between me and him? I was avoiding him as much as I could. He’s nothing but a shameless, lecherous流氓!”
Translated into English:
“How can those two situations even be compared? What could possibly happen between me and him? I was avoiding him as much as I could. He’s nothing but a shameless, lecherous rascal!”
“Wow, Cousin, why are you suddenly so worked up? I didn’t say anything, just asked a question!”
Qin Menglu murmured, her eyes filled with mischief—a clear influence from Xiao Yufan’s own mischievousness.
Only then did Yu Yihan realize her overreaction. Her face flushed even deeper. It had been many years since she had felt such emotional turbulence; her usually composed nature rarely wavered. Perhaps only Xiao Yufan’s presence could gradually begin to stir the most sensitive nerve within her…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage