While Qiao Qi and Liang Yan were exchanging tender words under the moon, the internet was in an entirely different state.

— These days, big and small news items involving Liang Yan added up to close to twenty a month, of which around ten were usually addressed personally by him, while the other eight were handled by the PR department.

But this particular piece of news, netizens waited well into the middle of the night without ever getting a response.

In the adult world, silence probably counts as tacit agreement, right?

So the discussion online exploded wide open — marketing accounts coordinated with each other, and rival camps who’d long had their eyes on the resources Liang Yan controlled all seized the chance to pile on with embellishments of their own.

Everyone seemed to have latched onto the fact that Liang Yan’s father hadn’t approved of his son entering the industry, and the public discussion drifted from Liang Xumo to the Liang Corporation as a whole, until people were practically ready to dig up eighteen generations of Liang family ancestry.

The whole point of doing this was, essentially, to say: look, one man — Liang Yan — is dragging his entire family down with him.

Liang Yan’s stated attitude on the matter: “A bunch of clowns jumping up and down.”

The hotel room was well heated, and the next morning Qiao Qi, not fully awake yet, squinted at the sound of something and turned to look at the man in the bed beside her.

For some reason, the man seemed unnaturally full of energy, having already changed into a lightweight sweater at this early hour. He was leaning against the headboard, the cold glow of his phone screen lighting his clear, alert eyes.

— And this, despite the fact that the two of them had carried on quite late the night before, only ending their adult horseplay when she’d flushed red and yanked at her clothes, kicking this young master down to the foot of the bed.

She lay sprawled on the bed, face turned to one side, squinting one eye at her bedmate. “What are you looking at?”

At the sound of her voice, Liang Yan tossed his phone aside and leaned in with a bright grin, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose, then, like some giant wolfhound, burrowing his face against the back of her neck, rubbing it several times before finally saying, voice bright and clear, “You’re awake?”

Her hair now a mess from his rubbing, Qiao Qi reached up and swatted at his face a couple times before shoving him away hard.

“Get off me.”

“No!” Liang Yan wasn’t going anywhere — instead, hands and feet working together, he pulled her and the blanket both into an even tighter embrace. “You’re responsible for me now.”

“…”

Qiao Qi had thought she’d already adapted to this young master’s shamelessness. Apparently there was still room for improvement.

“Get lost.”

Here he was, this shameless old flirt, clinging to her, playing the pitiful card while coaxing her into “games.”

Which, somehow, always ended up drifting into distinctly R-rated territory.

“I’m not getting lost,” Liang Yan said, still holding her. “If anyone’s getting lost in the sheets, we’re doing it together.”

“What do you mean ‘lost in the sheets,’ are you trying to say—”

Qiao Qi looked at him, expressionless.

Liang Yan grinned, cupping her face like it was his most treasured possession, and nipped playfully at her cheek the way one might nibble at a child’s chubby cheek.

Qiao Qi yelped in pain. “Ow! You’re so annoying!”

Liang Yan paid it no mind, filing every “no,” “get lost,” and “you’re so annoying” that came out of her mouth firmly under the “she doesn’t mean it” column.

“Hungry? We’re not filming until after ten this morning,” Liang Yan said. “What do you want to eat?”

“Congee,” Qiao Qi said. “Century egg and pork congee.”

“Sure, coming right up.” Liang Yan added, “For my woman.”

Qiao Qi raised her hands to cover her ears, and for good measure, pulled the blanket entirely over her head too.

Pretending she’d heard nothing at all.

Liang Yan quickly placed the breakfast order, then slid his body back under the covers.

After the previous night’s excesses, Qiao Qi had tried to banish him to her own room; only after he swore repeatedly he wouldn’t try anything further did she allow him to fetch his own blanket from her room instead.

So the two adults, on the very first night of officially confirming their relationship, ended up spending it purely huddled under separate blankets, talking.

Liang Yan himself found this deeply regrettable.

Because now, just seeing Qiao Qi lying in bed was enough to make his mind automatically replay the image of her from the night before — worn breathless from his teasing, face flushed, eyes hazy, voice hoarse as she begged him to stop.

He’d genuinely only meant to tease her a little at first; it was her pleading that had tested his restraint to its absolute limit before he managed not to go further.

Truth be told, Qiao Qi wasn’t in much better shape.

Right now, face buried in the blanket, she couldn’t help but replay the various scenes from the night before —

The man pressing over her, teeth grazing her earlobe, hot breath fanning across her cheek and the shell of her ear.

His voice low and deep, carrying a desire impossible to ignore.

Coaxing her like a child: “Open your mouth, let me kiss you, I want to kiss you, just once, I promise.”

As it turned out, whatever a man says in bed can apparently be trusted — pigs really can fly.

Qiao Qi used to think that saying was exaggerated; now she felt it deserved to be framed and hung on the wall as a life philosophy.

So when Liang Yan tried to burrow back into her blanket again, Qiao Qi, without a second thought, wrapped herself into a tight cocoon.

All four corners of the blanket pinned firmly beneath her, her tone utterly decisive: “If you try anything again, I’m sleeping in my own room tonight.”

“Fine, your room’s basically the same as mine,” Liang Yan said, deliberately twisting her meaning. “I’ll just carry both blankets over there when the time comes.”

Infuriated, Qiao Qi puffed out her cheeks; seeing this, Liang Yan felt an itch in both his hands and his heart.

So this was what liking someone felt like — wanting to kiss and hold her every single moment.

Even if it meant kissing her to tears, still wanting to kiss her!

So, operating on the principle of act-on-whatever-he-was-thinking, Liang Yan immediately fished Qiao Qi back out of her blanket cocoon, cupped her face, and gave her a long, lingering good-morning kiss.

After the kiss, he touched her earlobe, now flushed a bright, blood-red. “Now I finally understand why emperors used to skip their morning court sessions.”

Sensing he was about to say something else off-color, Qiao Qi decisively raised a hand and clamped it over his mouth.

She deliberately changed the subject. “What clowns were you talking about earlier?”

Liang Yan fell silent.

Qiao Qi: “Talk.”

Liang Yan pulled her hand away, exasperated. “How am I supposed to talk if you’re covering my mouth.”

Only then did Qiao Qi register what she’d done, letting out a string of “oh, oh, oh”s. “Go on then, talk.”

At this point Qiao Qi was lying sprawled on top of Liang Yan; not minding the weight, he loosely wrapped both arms around her waist. “Those people online, and a few petty types who just can’t stand to see me doing well.”

Only then did Qiao Qi remember — there’d been some big news breaking online last night too!

“Oh, right, so what are you planning to do about that?”

Liang Yan sounded thoroughly unbothered. “No idea. My dad hasn’t called me yet.”

“…Probably not great to just wait for him to call you first, is it?” Qiao Qi found herself worrying over this young master’s situation on his behalf.

“I’m getting scolded either way — if I call him, I have to pay for the call too.”

“?”

“You’re really worried about phone charges at a time like this?”

“Wouldn’t that money be better spent buying you candy?” Liang Yan pinched her waist.

Qiao Qi, perfectly serious, said, “Thanks, I’m touched, but I really think you should make the call yourself.”

“Then you get scolded with me,” Liang Yan said, craning his neck to kiss the corner of her mouth. “Brothers in arms — share the fortune, share the misery.”

“In that case, let’s cut ties right now,” Qiao Qi said, getting up to run.

There was no way Liang Yan was giving her the chance to escape — one hand pinned Qiao Qi down while the other yanked the blanket up over both of them.

“Then you’re doomed! Guess I’ll just have to silence you for good—”

Under the blanket, the man’s hand must have brushed against something, because the woman let out a sharp, indignant sound. “Liang Yan, are you trying to get yourself killed!”

The man answered: “Dying at your hands would still be worth it.”

Qiao Qi: “Where do you even come up with these greasy pickup lines?”

“One Night of Danger: The President’s Bone-Melting Little Bride.“

Qiao Qi: “?”

Qiao Qi: “What on earth is that?”

Liang Yan said, “Fan fiction someone wrote about the two of us. Want to read it? I’ve got a copy saved, cloud drive and everything.”

Qiao Qi: “…Please respect other people’s original work, don’t go around pirating someone’s labor of love.”

Liang Yan: “Should I go ask the author for permission, then?”

Qiao Qi: “…”

So exhausting.

Was this what dating was like for everyone?

Were all boyfriends this insufferable?

Qiao Qi had actually been considering going onto Weibo to find some relationship blogger and read through the comments for perspective, but before she could even manage to escape this shameless old flirt’s grip, a phone rang from somewhere on the bed.

Thinking it was the delivery, Liang Yan reached over to grab it.

He fumbled around for four or five seconds before Qiao Qi, deadpan, said, “Keep groping around like that and I guarantee you’ll be sleeping on set tonight.”

Liang Yan froze for a second, then slowly withdrew his hand, putting on an innocent smile. “I was just looking for my phone, that’s all.”

Qiao Qi let out a cold laugh, climbed off of him, and quickly located the phone herself.

She glanced at the caller ID — an unknown number, sure enough.

She answered. “Hello.”

There was a beat of silence on the other end, and the atmosphere instantly turned subtly awkward.

Getting no response, Qiao Qi instinctively said “Hello?” again.

The next second, a deep, low voice came through: “Is this… Qiao Qi?”

Qiao Qi: “…”

She stiffened on the spot for two full seconds.

At the same moment, Liang Yan’s voice drifted over: “What are you spacing out for? Woman, did your unforgettable first love come back into your life or something?”

Qiao Qi: “………”

The other end of the line stayed silent, but Qiao Qi had a feeling that whatever unspoken ellipsis Liang Yan’s father wanted to express right now was probably even longer than her own.

So she silently turned, pulled the phone away, and, with the utmost solemnity, placed it directly into Liang Yan’s hand.

Then made a “please, go ahead” gesture.

Liang Yan, confused. “What’s with all the theatrics?”

He looked down, about to answer, glancing briefly at the caller ID on the screen.

And then Qiao Qi watched him freeze, exactly as expected.

“…Dad?” Liang Yan picked up.

His father’s tone was unreadable as he said, “Hm. What did you mean by ‘unforgettable first love’?”

Liang Yan: “………”

Qiao Qi, who had been nervous a moment ago, now found herself entirely at ease, thanks to Liang Yan’s own humiliation.

She gave him a gleeful, mischievous grin, feeling like this called for popcorn and an ice-cold soda.

As it happened, the delivery arrived right at that moment.

Qiao Qi grabbed a cap on her way out to answer the door; by the time she’d collected the delivery, brushed her teeth, and made her way back, Liang Yan and his father had already moved past the whole “unforgettable first love” topic.

Missing out on the juiciest part, Qiao Qi felt genuinely regretful.

But listening to Liang Yan’s father hollering and scolding this young master over the phone, Qiao Qi calmly picked up her own bowl of congee anyway.

Sipping it in small, unhurried mouthfuls.

Squinting playfully at Liang Yan the whole time.

Liang Yan, apparently past caring at this point, simply switched to speakerphone and leaned back against the headboard, phone held loosely in hand.

So the entire room filled with the sound of his father’s booming voice: “What is wrong with you, day after day, always causing some kind of uproar! Do you really think you’ve grown your own wings now? Something this big happens and you don’t even bother telling your family? Your mother’s been thinking about her the past couple days, and here you are, not a word of warning, just dropping a bomb out of nowhere! Do you think we’ve lived too long? Trying to hurry along and inherit the family fortune, is that it?”

After all that ranting from his father, the young master only responded to the very last line.

And it was the kind of response designed to be maximally infuriating.

“Nah, I don’t even want your stuff. Why don’t you just leave it for my son instead?”

His father was struck speechless for several seconds by that single line, then suddenly said: “Is Qiao Qi pregnant?”

Qiao Qi spat her mouthful of congee straight out.

Now it was Liang Yan’s turn to enjoy the show.

Seeing him not bother to explain, Qiao Qi, thoroughly panicked, gestured wildly for him to clear things up.

Instead, Liang Yan said: “Say something. He can see you.”

Qiao Qi froze. “?”

Liang Yan tapped a long finger against the phone screen, and Qiao Qi, catching on, went rigid.

The next second, Liang Yan turned the phone around and delivered her a death sentence.

— They’d been on a WeChat video call this entire time!!

Since when!!

Qiao Qi was floored.

Liang Yan helpfully explained, “Since right after you left to brush your teeth. My dad didn’t want to pay for the call to scold me either.”

Qiao Qi: “…”

So the two of you were ganging up on me the whole time, is that it?

“Son or daughter?” Liang Yan asked, clearly enjoying the chaos far too much.

Qiao Qi shot to her feet, immensely grateful now that she’d thrown on a long down jacket earlier to answer the door.

Looking at Liang Yan’s father through the camera, her hands and feet frozen stiff, she stammered for a good while before finally managing: “N-not yet…”

His father seemed equally caught off guard, apparently not having fully thought this through either. “Well then… good luck to you both.”

With that, the whole room fell into a state of profound, awkward silence.

In the end it was Liang Yan who couldn’t hold it in any longer, breaking into laughter and stepping in to smooth things over. “Alright, you’ve had your scolding, you’ve met the future daughter-in-law, we’ll sort the rest out in person later — we’re busy right now.”

He moved to hang up, but his father stopped him. “Wait a second. This counts as meeting Qiao Qi for the first time too — you haven’t given her a meeting gift yet.”

He called out, “Qiao Qi, pull up your WeChat payment QR code and hold it up to Liang Yan’s phone.”

Qiao Qi let out an “Huh?” “What?”

Liang Yan said, “Just hand it over first.”

Past caring by this point, Qiao Qi, mind completely blank, simply did whatever the father-son duo told her to.

She opened her WeChat receiving QR code and held it up in front of Liang Yan’s phone; the next second, a payment notification came through.

Qiao Qi: “…”

What a direct meeting gift.

She had no idea how, in the span of a single day and night, she’d somehow already collected meeting gifts not just from her boyfriend, but from his entire family too.

And that wasn’t all — once Liang Yan’s father hung up, Qiao Qi’s phone started chiming with payment notifications one after another.

Within a single minute, checking her account, Qiao Qi found she’d gained a seven-figure sum out of thin air!

Before she’d even had time to process this sudden windfall, Liang Yan had already added her to a group chat.

The moment she joined, a wave of friend requests came rolling in — a dozen or so, at least.

She didn’t even bother asking who any of these people were; seeing they’d all come from the Liang family group, she accepted every single request without hesitation.

Then, once again, a flood of transfers came pouring in.

Qiao Qi couldn’t quite name what she was feeling; with no time to reply to any of the messages, she just kept fiddling with her phone, looking for something to do.

So she checked her account balance again.

“………….”

So this was what sudden wealth felt like, huh?

On top of that, a pile of messages had come in as well.

【Little Qi Qi, this is your big auntie!】

【This is your second uncle, go ahead and accept your meeting gift】

【This is your cousin, I picked up a bag the other day, I’ll bring it over to you sometime】

【Oh my goodness!! Is this our sister-in-law!!!】

【Aaah my brother is so annoying!! But wishing you two a lifetime of happiness together!】

【Whoa! My ship is canon!!】

【Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, can we follow each other on Weibo?】

【Sister-in-law, I’m your number one fan… I’m so emotional right now】

At first, the messages coming in had a serious, formal tone — the kind of thing that made Qiao Qi tense up instinctively just reading it.

But before long, the tone shifted entirely, as if she’d wandered straight into a ship fandom’s super-topic.

So this was what it felt like to have family.

At this point, Qiao Qi still hadn’t quite caught up with everything; she looked up at Liang Yan, dazed.

Liang Yan, entirely unfazed, said, “Go ahead and keep it. Finders keepers — how about we split it fifty-fifty?”

Qiao Qi: “?”

“Not happy with that? Then forty-sixty. Don’t worry, I’ll take the forty,” Liang Yan said.

Qiao Qi: “…”

Liang Yan: “Still not happy? Then thirty-seventy — that’s as low as I’ll go, that’s my bottom line.”

Qiao Qi: “…………”

Liang Yan: “Fine, fine, fine, twenty-eighty! Twenty-eighty!”

“Still no good? Are you trying to make me pay you to date me?” Liang Yan rambled on to himself. “I already said my bottom line was thirty-seventy, and now it’s already… fine, fine, my bottom line is just you, alright, I’ll pay you to be with me, deal or— hm?”

Qiao Qi buried her face straight into Liang Yan’s chest.

Liang Yan paused, then, understanding, smiled softly.

He stroked her hair, gently, again and again. “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Qi said nothing, just felt a sudden sharp ache behind her nose.

Her throat tightened too; she swallowed hard several times, but her voice still came out unmistakably thick and muffled.

She couldn’t help pressing her face against his chest; sensing it, Liang Yan wrapped his arms even tighter around her.

He tilted his head back slightly, chin resting on top of her head, looking up at the bright light overhead, his own eyes glimmering with something bright too.

His voice was impossibly gentle. “What’s wrong? Isn’t it a good thing, coming into money out of nowhere?”

Qiao Qi, voice thick, said, “It’s really good.”

But…

“Liang Yan, I’m not that good.”

Qiao Qi had never felt so overwhelmed with undeserved favor before; she felt like a child suddenly at a loss, crushed under the weight of so much love all at once.

She was afraid — so afraid of failing to live up to this honest, unguarded love.

“Nonsense,” Liang Yan said, holding her. “I won’t let you talk about our family’s daughter-in-law like that.”

Qiao Qi let out a helpless little whine.

She truly didn’t know what she was supposed to do.

But she wasn’t afraid.

Because she knew Liang Yan would be there, guiding her, telling her how to take every step forward from here.

He would tell her: “You just need to be yourself.”

“Qiao Qi, all I want is for you to be yourself. That’s enough.”

Whatever right and wrong, whatever bitterness this world still held — from now on, you won’t have to taste a single drop of it again.

“Really?” Qiao Qi asked.

Liang Yan paused, then suddenly said, “Besides being yourself, you also need to give me a son or a daughter — you already agreed to that with our dad just now.”

Qiao Qi: “…Liang Yan.”

Liang Yan: “Hm?”

Qiao Qi: “If there were a competition for ruining the mood, you’d win first place every single year, without fail.”

Liang Yan: “You flatter me.”

Qiao Qi: “…Shut up.”

Liang Yan: “There’s one way to make me shut up.”

Qiao Qi: “?”

Her instincts told her this wasn’t going to be anything good.

“Don’t say it, I don’t want to know—”

Before she could finish, sure enough, the next second, she heard Liang Yan say: “Kiss me.”

Qiao Qi turned and started to walk away.

Liang Yan, laughing, didn’t give her the chance — his long arm shot out and pulled her right back into his arms.

He lowered his head, looking into her bright, glistening eyes, feeling his heart practically melt.

“One kiss, a hundred yuan,” Liang Yan said.

Qiao Qi laughed despite herself, asking deliberately, “You have a secret stash of cash now?”

Liang Yan raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Then where’s the hundred yuan coming from?” Qiao Qi asked, smiling.

“Didn’t we just agree on an eighty-twenty split?” Liang Yan asked.

Qiao Qi: “Didn’t we agree you’d be paying me to date you instead?”

“Deal. I’ll be paying into this for the rest of my life.”

With that, the man lowered his head, and the woman rose onto her toes.

Their lips met.

The whole room was filled with a sweetness that sank straight into the heart.

Author’s note: I want a truckload of meeting gifts like this!!