In the end, Ye Zhen, through his own efforts, had managed to successfully squander his ten million entirely.
But Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t fare much better either.
“This Ye Zhen—I absolutely will not allow it!” Mother Jiang’s attitude was resolute. “The only son-in-law in my heart is Yongjian! From today until the wedding, you are not allowed out of the house. You’ll work from home. I’ll have someone keep an eye on you so that flirtatious Ye Zhen doesn’t lure you away!”
Ye Zhen was chased off, and Jiang Xiaoyi was placed under house arrest.
By the time Mother Jiang, ever decisive, had swiftly assigned two burly guards to watch the door, Jiang Xiaoyi began to panic a little—this level of seriousness suggested her mother truly meant business!
For the first time since crossing over into this parallel world, she began to feel genuinely anxious.
If this continued, wouldn’t she really end up married to Li Yongjian?!
After three days of behaving herself under the guards’ watch, Jiang Xiaoyi decided she couldn’t keep waiting. She had to run from this wedding!
So she stood in the courtyard, staring at the iron gate that could turn a man into a woman, lost in thought.
The old saying really was true—leaving a door open for someone else means leaving a window open for yourself. Jiang Xiaoyi hadn’t expected that sealing off Ye Zhen’s entrance would end up sealing her own window shut too…
In the end, gritting her teeth through the whole ordeal, she spent an entire night struggling before finally managing to scale the wall, a bag of cash slung across her back.
But once she’d escaped, Jiang Xiaoyi found herself feeling somewhat lost. Walking down streets both familiar and strange, she suddenly had no idea where to go.
The thrill of the identity swap after crossing over had gradually faded, leaving only anxiety and unease.
By the time Jiang Xiaoyi came to her senses, she found she had unknowingly walked all the way to her old “home.”
Well, to be precise, it was now Ye Zhen’s home.
Though the neighborhood and the apartment’s interior were far inferior to the mansion, hearing the familiar, lively voices of the neighbors, Jiang Xiaoyi instead felt a sense of comfort settle over her.
But that peace was quickly shattered—
“Ye Zhen! You only paid off the overdue rent last time! Our lease is quarterly payments—hurry up and pay! Otherwise I’m finding a new tenant!”
Following the landlord’s booming voice, Jiang Xiaoyi soon spotted Ye Zhen walking toward her from a narrow alley.
Though the man had clearly fallen on hard times, there was still something in his bearing and demeanor that carried an air of refinement—like a once-wealthy young lady fallen from grace, reduced to hardship.
Recalling her own miserable ordeal of being forced into marriage, Jiang Xiaoyi found herself feeling a twinge of sympathy for this class enemy of hers.
“Uncle Wang, his rent is six thousand a quarter, right? I’ll cover it for him.”
Having said this, Jiang Xiaoyi pulled six thousand in cash from her backpack and counted it out for him.
Landlord Uncle Wang looked at Jiang Xiaoyi, clearly surprised that she knew his nickname. He blinked, but still accepted the money, a smile spreading across his face. “Since you know my name and his rent so well, you must be a friend of Ye Zhen’s. Well then, I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Before leaving, he leaned toward Ye Zhen and muttered under his breath with a wink. “Time to change your fortune, my man. While you’re young, marry into a good family and put in the effort.”
Jiang Xiaoyi had expected Ye Zhen to greet her with a sour face, but to her surprise, his expression was rather calm, even carrying a hint of docility.
He glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi, then lowered his eyes, his voice notably gentle, even a bit bashful. “Thank you for covering my rent. My attitude toward you before was uncalled for—would you like to come up for a bit?”
Had Ye Zhen finally come to his senses? Had he reflected on himself? Had life’s harsh lessons finally beaten some decency into him?
Given Ye Zhen’s decent attitude, and since Jiang Xiaoyi did feel a bit nostalgic for her old run-down apartment, she nodded and followed him upstairs.
But she never expected that Ye Zhen’s docility would vanish the moment they got upstairs. He locked the door, then pulled out a rope, and with a malicious glint in his eye, swiftly and efficiently tied Jiang Xiaoyi up.
The man let out a sinister chuckle. “Here I was wondering how I’d manage to come tie you up myself, and you deliver yourself right to my doorstep.”
Jiang Xiaoyi panicked. “Ye Zhen! What are you doing? This is still a society governed by law—don’t break the law like this! I’ve got money in my bag, all cash, take it and use it—”
“So you really did have bad intentions toward me. Good habits are hard to pick up, but bad ones you learn instantly—so you’ve already learned this world’s classic female vice, huh? Showing up with a bag of cash for a ‘visit upstairs’—weren’t you just trying to take advantage of me while I’m down on my luck?”
Ye Zhen glanced at the cash in the bag and let out a cold laugh. “But I’m not interested. I’ve figured it out now—even with ten million, what does it really matter? Compared to the life I should have had, it’s nothing.”
“You’re not planning to kidnap me and demand a massive ransom from my parents, are you?” Jiang Xiaoyi suddenly calmed down. “Ye Zhen, why don’t we talk this over? Look, I have tens of billions—giving you a few billion wouldn’t be a problem. We could even cooperate on this kidnapping thing. Just wreck my wedding and kidnap me before it happens, and, look…”
But before Jiang Xiaoyi could finish, Ye Zhen cut her off. “I don’t want a few billion.”
Jiang Xiaoyi felt a small wave of relief—Ye Zhen wasn’t so bad after all, not entirely heartless, since he actually turned down a few billion as too much!
But before she could feel truly touched, she heard Ye Zhen declare, his voice ringing out with conviction—
“I want my life back—completely!”
…huh???
Then why are you kidnapping me?
Ye Zhen smiled at Jiang Xiaoyi. “You’re coming with me to jump into the sea.”
Jiang Xiaoyi was stunned. “Jump into the sea?!”
“I’ve thought this through carefully. When I originally crossed over into this godforsaken world, it was right after jumping off the cruise ship into the sea. That suggests there might be some kind of dimensional portal in the ocean. If I recreate that exact situation and jump into the sea again, I should be able to return to my normal life.”
“Do you even know how far it is to the coast from here?!”
Ye Zhen was full of confidence. “I have a car.”
Ye Zhen had a car now too? He’d managed to buy one in this short amount of time? Where did he get the money?
Ten minutes later, when Jiang Xiaoyi found herself tied to the back seat of a public bike-share bicycle from Rong City, she no longer thought so highly of that claim—this was worse than even Li Yongjian’s little electric scooter!
“This is your ‘car’?!”
Ye Zhen showed not the slightest hint of shame, glaring back at Jiang Xiaoyi self-righteously. “If it weren’t for you being so poor, you think I wouldn’t have a real car?”
Without further discussion, he mounted the bicycle, then took another rope and wound it several times around Jiang Xiaoyi, binding her securely to his own body before finally setting off.
He took the back streets, avoiding the city center and heading straight for the coast, the roads deserted the whole way, so he wasn’t worried about Jiang Xiaoyi calling for help. This confident “kidnapper” didn’t even bother taping her mouth shut.
Jiang Xiaoyi, knowing there was no one to call for rescue anyway, focused her energy instead on trying to persuade Ye Zhen to let her go.
“Ye Zhen, calm down. You can’t even swim—if you jump into the sea, isn’t that just suicide? What if you don’t cross back over and instead just die…”
Ye Zhen replied coldly, “No need to worry. I crash-learned to swim over the past few days.”
His tone carried a warning. “I suggest you stay quiet and stop trying to talk me out of this, or I won’t mind taping your mouth shut.”
Having said this, the man pedaled even more furiously, sending the bicycle flying, as though he couldn’t wait to reach the coast the very next second.
But no matter how good Ye Zhen’s stamina was, this two-wheeled steed ultimately left much to be desired.
Half an hour later, Ye Zhen’s speed had noticeably slowed.
An hour later, not only had he slowed down, but he’d started panting too.
An hour and a half later, Ye Zhen finally reached the coast, and Jiang Xiaoyi felt he was not looking too good at all…
Who would have thought that Ye Zhen, who once had everything at his beck and call, would now be reduced to pedaling a two-wheeled bicycle.
With nothing better to do and no way to escape, Jiang Xiaoyi took to cheering him on, spiritually victorious—
“Faster, Ye Zhen! Did you even eat breakfast?”
“You’re slowing down! Aren’t you desperate to cross back home? Speed up, speed up!”
“Forward! Forward!”
“Charge! Charge ahead! Like a blade cutting straight into the enemy’s belly!”
…
Ye Zhen finally reached his limit. “Jiang Xiaoyi! You’d better recognize your situation!”
Wasn’t her situation perfectly clear already?
Though technically the “kidnap victim,” Jiang Xiaoyi sat comfortably on the back seat, exerting no effort at all, enjoying the gentle evening breeze, as though she’d hired herself a handsome rickshaw puller—the man sweating and gritting his teeth up the hill, while she simply admired the night scenery, having circled half the city without paying a single cent.
To his credit, Ye Zhen had pushed himself hard—what should have been a two-hour bike ride, he’d managed to shorten by half an hour despite carrying Jiang Xiaoyi the whole way.
Though he was gasping for breath and looking rather pale, Ye Zhen still steadfastly dragged Jiang Xiaoyi along, pulling her toward a small, run-down boat—one of those inflatable life rafts without even a motor, powered by paddles alone.
“You’re going to row this out to the cruise ship?”
Ye Zhen pressed his lips together, looking away, saying with forced composure, “There’s no need to specifically use a cruise ship. After all, once we cross over after jumping into the sea, it wouldn’t be fair to the cruise owner—future passengers might feel it’s unlucky and it would hurt his business. So I switched to this instead. No burden on my conscience when I jump this way.”
Not having money for a cruise ticket, and you can spin it into something so noble and pure… since when do you care about other people’s feelings?
As Ye Zhen paddled, he continued trying to save face. “It’s not necessarily required to fully recreate the original conditions anyway. Either way, it’s still jumping into the sea—doesn’t matter much where you jump from.”
Amid the vast night and the howling sea wind, Jiang Xiaoyi shivered, trembling from the cold, and struggled. “Well, if it doesn’t need to be exactly recreated, why don’t you just jump by yourself? Whether I’m there or not shouldn’t matter much either.”
“No, that won’t do.”
Ye Zhen’s tone remained firm, showing no sign of softening. He even tightened the rope binding Jiang Xiaoyi to himself, securing it further.
“I urge you to come back with me. Sure, you’re rich here now, but you’ve somehow also ended up with a fiancé out of nowhere, and who knows what else awaits you in the future? How can you be sure it’ll all turn out fine? This world may look the same as ours, but who knows how different it really is deep down—if you stay, be careful, you might even lose your life.”
It seemed there was no hope of escape now.
But would she really surrender to evil forces just like that?
Absolutely not!
Even if she was now President Jiang, once a working stiff, always a working stiff at heart. There was nothing in this world that could defeat a hardworking laborer!
Jiang Xiaoyi decided to change tactics. Knowing when to yield was the mark of the wise, so she put on a look of submission and acceptance.
“President Ye, well then, once we cross back, could you approve company housing for me? You’ve seen my living conditions, after all. And could you also raise my salary a bit…”
Seeing her finally submit, Ye Zhen smiled with a hint of triumph. “That depends on your performance.”
“Actually, President Ye, I do want to go back too. You’re right—if I stay here, I’ll be forced to marry Li Yongjian, and then forced to have children. Sure, I’d have money, but my life would be completely out of my own control. Honestly, being poor but free might not be so bad after all…”
Jiang Xiaoyi lowered her eyes, feigning loyalty. “‘Fate’s gifts have already been secretly priced.’ If I stay here, who knows what misfortune might befall me in the future—better to follow you back!”
She gazed out at the sea, speaking with grand solemnity. “This sea—I’ll jump. It’s just, about this rope tying me to you—could you untie it? What if I jump in and don’t immediately cross over, and being tied up, I can’t move freely and drown? My drowning wouldn’t be a big deal, but what if I’m actually a necessary condition for the crossing to work, and my death ruins your chance to get back?”
Ye Zhen frowned, thinking it over, seemingly finding some logic in what she said. He untied Jiang Xiaoyi, then moved to pull her along to jump into the sea together.
Jiang Xiaoyi shouted, “Wait!”
Ye Zhen turned back with an unpleasant expression. “Didn’t you say you wanted to cross back too? What, were you lying? Getting cold feet now?”
Having said this, the man made a move as though to grab Jiang Xiaoyi and jump together with her.
Jiang Xiaoyi certainly wasn’t having that. Thinking fast, she said, “No, no, no! I’ll jump! Of course I’ll jump! But, President Ye, thinking it over carefully, even without the cruise ship, we should still try to recreate the original scene as closely as possible. Back then, you jumped first, and I jumped after. A lot of the time, crossing over is like a ritual—the order really matters! If we jump together, that would ruin the ritual! I suggest you go first!”
Jiang Xiaoyi spoke with resolute conviction. “Sure, I’ve got money and a good life here, but I’ve been living in constant fear and unease. I haven’t slept properly in days, constantly reflecting on myself—do I, Jiang Xiaoyi, really deserve this life? Now I’ve come to realize—I don’t deserve it! I haven’t earned any of this through hard work. If I got to live this life so easily and early, it would only destroy my drive to strive! Money has corrupted my mind! Capitalism has poisoned my faith!”
“So rest assured! I will definitely jump!” To show her resolve, Jiang Xiaoyi threw the oar overboard. “I won’t be needing this oar anymore—let me show you my determination to burn the boats behind me, because I won’t be using the oar to row back and flee!”
Jiang Xiaoyi was only putting on an act, but to her surprise, Ye Zhen actually bought it. The man even looked somewhat pleased. “Good that you’ve come around to this way of thinking. Indeed, money isn’t a blessing for everyone. Plenty of people who win the lottery for tens of millions end up with broken families and ruined lives.”
He looked at her with a bit of disdain. “Someone like you really can’t handle a life of wealth. I have to admit, at least you have some self-awareness.”
Having said this, the man smiled. “Alright, then I’ll jump, and you follow right after. Once we’re back, I’ll give you a bonus generous enough not to lead you astray in life.”
Having said all this, Ye Zhen smiled once more. “Well then, see you in the old timeline.”
With that, the man jumped straight into the sea.
Now was her chance!
While Ye Zhen was still finding his balance in the water, Jiang Xiaoyi quickly used her hand as a makeshift paddle to steer the raft, letting the waves carry it toward the shore.
Who needs an oar? Rowing doesn’t require paddles—the waves will do just fine!
Ignoring Ye Zhen’s furious cursing from behind her, Jiang Xiaoyi tossed the life ring from the raft into the sea for him, while fishing out the phone Ye Zhen had just discarded, intending to call the police.
It was the middle of the night, freezing cold in the sea—what if he didn’t cross over and just died instead?
Jiang Xiaoyi had money and freedom here, good food and a comfortable life. Even if she’d been poor here, she still wouldn’t want to go back—after all, here, her parents were still alive.
So, unlike Ye Zhen, she didn’t have such a burning desire to go back, nor was she willing to risk her life for it. Throwing him the life ring and calling for rescue was already more than generous enough.
But before Jiang Xiaoyi could dial 110, the sound of a small motorboat’s engine suddenly rang out nearby, speeding straight toward Ye Zhen still in the water. Before long, the motorboat had rescued him, then sped quickly over to Jiang Xiaoyi’s raft—
“Miss Jiang, get on board quickly!”
Someone on the motorboat shone a searchlight-like beam of light, momentarily blinding Jiang Xiaoyi. Only after she boarded the boat and wrapped herself in a windbreaker blanket did her vision return, and she finally made out who was on board—
Dripping wet and wrapped miserably in a blanket, glaring at her, was Ye Zhen. Besides him, there was the crew member who had just rescued her, someone driving the boat, and then…
Wasn’t that her own mother?!
Oh no. She hadn’t expected that after her escape, Mother Jiang would personally give chase. Jiang Xiaoyi grew nervous—was her mother truly determined to drag her back and force her into this marriage?
Sure enough, Mother Jiang’s expression was grave. She glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi, then walked over to Ye Zhen—
“Ye Zhen, you’ve certainly given me something to reconsider.”
Facing this dire situation, Jiang Xiaoyi decided to shift blame passionately—after all, if Mother Jiang found out she’d been the one to run away, wouldn’t she be watched even more closely afterward? Better to claim from start to finish that this was all Ye Zhen’s doing, that he’d caused trouble and kidnapped her. After all, her mother already disliked him…
“Mom, this was all Ye Zhen—”
But before Jiang Xiaoyi could finish, Mother Jiang cut her off. “Don’t say a word.” She glared at Jiang Xiaoyi, then turned to Ye Zhen. “After Xiaoyi ran away, it took me half a day to track her down, and sure enough, she was with you. Just as I was about to call out to you both, I saw you two rowing out to sea together, so I decided to follow and see what you were up to. Ye Zhen, I misjudged you. I never expected you to be this kind of man.”
Excellent! Her mother had jumped straight to blaming Ye Zhen without even asking! Perfect! Curse him! Curse him to death! This was all his fault!
Just as Jiang Xiaoyi was about to fan the flames further, Mother Jiang suddenly crouched down and took Ye Zhen’s hand, her voice trembling with emotion—
“I never imagined you loved Xiaoyi so much you’d risk death for her!”???
Mother Jiang’s eyes reddened with tears, her face full of remorse. “Ye Zhen, I misjudged you because of your looks. I thought you looked improper, a bit too flirtatious, not the type to settle down—but it turns out you’re truly an honorable man.”
Ye Zhen’s expression visibly darkened further, but before he could get a word in, Mother Jiang continued, her voice full of conviction—
“I never realized you would go so far as to sacrifice your own life to be with Xiaoyi!”
Oh no, this isn’t—
But there was no room for Jiang Xiaoyi to interject at all.
Mother Jiang continued dramatically. “I thought you were only after her money—I never imagined it was love! To be willing to die for Xiaoyi to preserve your integrity! You two must have planned this elopement and suicide pact together! I saw it all just now—you tied yourself to Xiaoyi first, clearly planning to jump and die together, weren’t you?”
“I’ve heard of lovers’ suicide pacts before—usually it’s the man who chickens out, agrees to die with the woman, and then the woman ends up dead while the man survives. I never expected you to overturn everything I thought I knew about modern young men!”
Mother Jiang, moved to tears, continued. “I saw it all just now—at the very last moment, you still untied the rope binding you and Xiaoyi together, then hugged her once, said your final farewell words, and jumped into the sea alone. You were willing to die for love, to prove your devotion with death, yet you didn’t force Xiaoyi to join you—you still wanted her to live on happily.”
Ignoring Ye Zhen’s increasingly dark expression, Mother Jiang gripped his hand tightly. “I never realized that beneath that flirtatious appearance of yours lies such a pure, kind heart!”
“To love someone so much you’d give up everything, yet ask for nothing in return—I never imagined you could be so selfless, so broad-minded, so noble in spirit!”
Mother Jiang grew more and more emotional as she spoke. “I thought men as simple and sincere as my husband had gone extinct in modern society, but seeing you, I witnessed the younger generation of men carrying on the legacy of true male virtue!”
“Ye Zhen, the purity and beauty of love shine through you, and I admire that so deeply!”
…
Mom, he untied the rope because he was worried I’d drown and mess up his plan to cross over; he hugged me because I wouldn’t jump and he decided to grab me and jump together; and what he said to me wasn’t a farewell at all, but a vision of our happy future along with a warning to me—as for why he jumped first, that’s because I tricked him into thinking we needed to perfectly recreate the original sequence of events… none of it has anything to do with love… really, nothing at all…
But Mother Jiang was utterly convinced of her own interpretation. With tears in her eyes, she vowed to Ye Zhen right then, “I apologize for my earlier prejudice against you. Your love has moved me deeply. Now I somewhat understand why Xiaoyi refuses to marry for your sake—it’s not just because of your flirtatious looks…”
Ye Zhen finally couldn’t hold back any longer. “What do you mean flirtatious, improper, gaudy?! How am I improper in any way?!”
Jiang Xiaoyi also wanted to jump in and expose Ye Zhen’s “kidnapping” scheme.
“Yes, yes, in my heart now, you’re barely decent enough.” But Mother Jiang, ignoring Ye Zhen’s glare, turned to Jiang Xiaoyi and declared—
“Xiaoyi, since you don’t want to marry Yongjian, I approve!”
“And I also approve of you being with Ye Zhen!”???
Jiang Xiaoyi was dumbstruck. She had originally been racking her brain over how to avoid the marriage after being dragged back—and now, without even trying, everything had fallen right into place?
Ye Zhen frowned, clearly attempting to explain. “You’ve got this wrong. Me and her—”
Ye Zhen absolutely could not be allowed to clarify this!
Quick as lightning, Jiang Xiaoyi rushed forward and flung herself at Ye Zhen. “Ye Zhen! Are you okay?!”
Her acting reached peak intensity as she wrapped her arms around him. “My mind went completely blank just now—you scared me half to death!”
Jiang Xiaoyi turned to Mother Jiang, eyes brimming with tears. “Mom, Ye Zhen just cheated death—can I have a moment alone with him?”
Mother Jiang pursed her lips and turned to walk into the cabin.
The moment she left, Jiang Xiaoyi instantly dropped the anxious, tender expression she’d been putting on and turned to Ye Zhen with grim seriousness. “Alright, out with it. What are your terms?”
Ye Zhen let out a cold laugh. “Need me now, do you?”
“Ye Zhen, calm down. We’re in the same boat now, literally.”
“Your idea about jumping into the sea to cross back is admirable, but it’s probably useless. Forget the sea—if you still don’t believe me, next time we can try starting from a swimming pool together. But you need to understand, crossing over isn’t something you can just will into happening. Instead of obsessing every day over crossing back, why not focus on improving your life here? After all, what if you never make it back in your entire life?”
Jiang Xiaoyi continued, guiding him gently. “You already know men have basically no status in this world, and you’re not just a man—you’re a poor man, and a decent-looking one at that, which makes you all too easy prey for exploitation. A man’s good years don’t last long. If you waste a few more years here without getting back, life will only get harder for you as time goes on.”
Ye Zhen had spent the whole evening biking half the city carrying another person, then suffered through a dip in the sea. Now, in the sea breeze, he’d finally calmed down somewhat. He stared at Jiang Xiaoyi for a long while but offered no rebuttal.
Seeing an opening, Jiang Xiaoyi pressed her advantage. “In this world, no one understands us better than each other. So instead of fighting each other, why not cooperate?”
Sure enough, Ye Zhen finally spoke, his voice hoarse. “What kind of cooperation did you have in mind?”
“You’re a single, unmarried man, and right now you can’t even find a job—and even if you did, you’d probably face workplace harassment. But to establish yourself securely in this world, you need a respectable job.”
Jiang Xiaoyi smiled. “And as for me, I don’t want to marry Li Yongjian.”
“So, since my mother’s already jumped to this misunderstanding, why not just go along with it? You continue playing the devoted, lovesick fox spirit, and I, in turn, will graciously give you another chance—come back to Ruiyi as my assistant.”
Jiang Xiaoyi smiled. “I’ll even pay you five to six times the normal salary.”
Ye Zhen said flatly, “Ten million, flat rate, no assistant position.”
“No can do. If I give you ten million, what’s to stop you from taking the money and running—where would I even find you? And what if, once you have money, you go find yourself a girlfriend, and my mother finds out? How would I keep up the act then? Only by being my assistant, under my watch at all times, does this actually work.”
“Besides, this is a world that preys on men. A single, unemployed, unmarried man with ten million to his name would be in serious danger!”
Having said this, Jiang Xiaoyi pulled up some news articles on her phone, presenting them as solid evidence—
“Unmarried, Live-Alone Wealthy Man Forcibly Assaulted by Female Delivery Worker Who Broke Into His Home, Loses His Chastity—Why?”
“Young Single Man Targeted by Criminal Gang Due to Frequent Online Shopping, Kidnapped and Molested—Though Rescued, Suffered Severe Mental Trauma”
“Young Man Wins Five Million in Lottery, Robbed and Left for Dead on Roadside Three Days Later”
…
Each headline was more alarming than the last, and the further down the list Ye Zhen read, the worse his expression became.
Jiang Xiaoyi put her phone away, sensing it was time to deliver the final decisive blow.
“Five to six times the salary means you’ll live quite comfortably, with safe social connections and a respectable social standing. You won’t be cut off from society either—your work environment will still be the familiar Ruiyi. It benefits us both, keeping each other in check—isn’t that a win-win?”
“And of course, after a while, we can let our ‘relationship’ naturally cool off and fall apart, and by then I won’t have any more marriage pressure to deal with. As for you, I’ll give you a generous severance payout, and after that, whether you want to quit and start your own business or do something else entirely, that’s entirely up to you.”
Ever since the failed sea-jump plan and falling into the water, Ye Zhen had been thoroughly displeased, and Jiang Xiaoyi’s long speech, while reasonable, hadn’t fully dispelled his original intent. He still wanted to drag Jiang Xiaoyi into trying another jump into the sea—after all, he didn’t want to spend even one more day in this godforsaken place.
But now that he’d already tipped his hand, trying to kidnap Jiang Xiaoyi again wouldn’t be easy.
Now that Jiang Xiaoyi was offering him a well-paid position as her assistant, though it would be humiliating to stoop to being an assistant, taking the job would give him a legitimate reason to learn her schedule and enter her life.
If he bided his time, kept a low profile, and waited patiently, wouldn’t he eventually find another opportunity to get Jiang Xiaoyi to jump into the sea with him again?
This required careful, long-term planning.
Ye Zhen frowned, considering it for a moment, and finally nodded. “Deal.”
Without delay, Jiang Xiaoyi immediately reported the situation to Mother Jiang. “So, in short, that’s how it is. I just realized how close I came to losing Ye Zhen, and my whole heart clenched up. Now I just want to see him every moment—I can’t bear to be away from him even for a second. Besides, if he’s going to marry into the family eventually, won’t he need to help support you in your work? Might as well start now—it’s a good chance for you to evaluate his abilities too, isn’t it?”
To this, Mother Jiang didn’t object, though she pursed her lips. “Don’t get too excited yet, you two. I’ve only agreed to let you be together—I haven’t said I approve of marriage.”
Mother Jiang glanced at Ye Zhen, still frowning and not quite processing everything, and spoke down to him. “Ye Zhen, though my opinion of you has changed for the better, if you truly want to marry Xiaoyi, you’ll need to work even harder.”
“You’ll need to enroll in a Male Virtue EMBA program, along with a Male Aristocratic Etiquette MBA course.”
Ye Zhen was clearly stunned. “What? There’s even an EMBA for that?”
He pressed his lips together and refused. “That won’t be necessary…”
Mother Jiang shook her head, her expression full of disdain. “Just look at yourself. Sure, you were willing to die for Xiaoyi, but clearly Xiaoyi wasn’t willing to die for you—the moment you jumped, she ran! What does that tell you?”
Ye Zhen said stiffly, “It tells me she’s not being reasonable, that she’s too afraid of death.”
“Nonsense! It tells you that you’re not outstanding enough yet, that she doesn’t love you quite enough! You need to reflect on yourself!”
“…”
“You may be good-looking, but you’re a bit petty and small-minded. If you want to marry into our family, you’ll need to work on improving yourself. Refine your character and conduct, elevate yourself, be accomplished in both virtue and skill—only then can you truly hold your own and be cherished.”
Mother Jiang glanced at Ye Zhen’s face. “Otherwise, once your looks fade, so will any affection for you. Understand?”
“Being my assistant to Xiaoyi is a good start—I’ll be evaluating you through that too.” Mother Jiang gave a cold snort. “There’s no shortcut to marrying into a wealthy family. If you want to be my son-in-law, you’d better work hard!”
**
Having brought everyone back to shore, Mother Jiang checked the time. “I’m heading home. I’ve arranged a car for you two as well—don’t cause any more trouble, go home, wash up, and get some sleep.”
Once the cooperation was settled, Ye Zhen behaved himself, obediently climbing into the car with Jiang Xiaoyi.
According to the route, Jiang Xiaoyi’s mansion came first. But when she got out of the car, Ye Zhen got out too.
“Your place is still further.”
Ye Zhen pulled his blanket tighter around himself, putting on a meek, submissive look. “I’m so cold. Could I have a cup of hot tea first?”
Seeing Ye Zhen now, truly like a phoenix fallen lower than a chicken, looking so pitiful, Jiang Xiaoyi took mercy on him and allowed his request.
But she never expected this would turn out to be inviting a wolf into her house.
The moment Ye Zhen stepped inside, the man transformed completely—not a hint of meekness remained. Instead, he acted as though he owned the place, first going to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of hot tea, then grabbing a sandwich from the fridge, eating as he casually made his way upstairs to the shower room—
“I’ll graciously go shower in the guest room. It’s rather simply furnished, but I’ll make do for tonight. Tomorrow, though, you’ll need to arrange things properly: change the entire four-piece bedding set—I use Eastern Accents. As for slippers, get me two pairs of LV. Oh, and the trash can—LV as well. I’ll give you a detailed list of the other, less urgent household items I need…”
Wait a minute…
“When did I ever say you could live here?!” Jiang Xiaoyi was stunned by Ye Zhen’s sheer audacity. She grabbed his arm. “Didn’t I already pay off your back rent? Go live at your own place!”
But Ye Zhen replied with complete self-righteousness. “This is my home.”
“This is MY home!”
Ye Zhen glanced at the furious Jiang Xiaoyi, his expression unchanged, calm and composed. “Didn’t your mother say I’m marrying into your family eventually? So this is going to be my future home too. Socialist male virtue teaches that once a man marries, he’s like water poured out—he should treat his wife’s home as his own, and manage it as such, treating his wife’s parents as his own to be filial toward.”
He smiled, glancing around the room, then fixed his gaze on Jiang Xiaoyi. “So, this is my home.”
“Men really do have it hard in this world, but I agreed to demean myself as your assistant and pretend to be your boyfriend—that’s already a huge sacrifice on my part. After all, with looks like mine, if I didn’t want to bother working, I could easily find some wealthy woman to keep me. Now, for the sake of our history together, I’m doing you this favor—you think I’d go back to living in that dump?”
“You’re a woman, letting your own man live in a place like that—does that even fit modern values? You’re President Jiang now—doesn’t that embarrass you? Is that appropriate?”
Jiang Xiaoyi tried to argue her case. “But you and I aren’t even married, and living together like this—that’s not appropriate either! It makes you look far too casual! A man should have some restraint! Self-respect and dignity!”
Ye Zhen said shamelessly, “But it won’t be long before word gets out that you called off your wedding for my sake, and my reputation will be ruined too—I’ll be known as the flirtatious homewrecker who broke up a happy couple. Having endured all this unjust suffering, why should I still care about the awkward optics of living together before marriage? As compensation, I deserve to live here too!”
“Enough talk, I’m going to shower first. Tell your driver he can go—from now on, this is my home.”
Ye Zhen glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi, smiling infuriatingly. “Whether as your assistant or your boyfriend, either way, I’m essentially playing the role of your kept man. I have professional ethics—since we’ve made this deal, I’ll commit fully to it. As your kept man from now on, wherever you go, I’ll go too.”
Having said this, the man walked off with a swagger, humming the tune of “Coming Home.”
**
Once Ye Zhen finished showering and changed into pajamas, he wandered around the mansion, as though he’d instantly transformed from a lowly commoner back into a king, beginning to critique the layout and decor of Jiang Xiaoyi’s house.
“Where’s the jade ruyi ornament that used to sit in my entryway? It was there last time I visited—how is it gone now? Fine, you took it, but why replace it with such an ugly statue of Guan Yu?!”
“This display cabinet used to hold all my pieces I bought at high prices from auctions—and you’ve turned the entire cabinet into storage for blind box figurines?! What an aesthetic crime!”
When Ye Zhen reached the basement, now cluttered with junk, he could barely stop himself from rolling his eyes. “What is this? You’re using it for storage?!”
Jiang Xiaoyi rolled her eyes right back. “It was empty—what else would I put in an empty space if not storage?”
“This was supposed to be a fully immersive holographic 5D gaming room!” Ye Zhen gave Jiang Xiaoyi a look like she was hopelessly unsophisticated, then spoke to the empty air. “Martin, activate holographic gaming mode.”
“Yes, Master.”
Accompanied by a mechanical male voice that seemed to come from nowhere, the entire basement suddenly transformed dramatically, projecting a holographic 5D display. A floating control panel appeared in front of Jiang Xiaoyi as well.
Ye Zhen casually waved his hand, pressing a few virtual buttons, and the holographic mode shifted, the control interface fading into a vast, deep night sky filled with stars. Standing there, it felt as though they’d truly been transported into the boundless universe.
This advanced?!
Ye Zhen skillfully tapped a few more commands, deactivating the holographic mode, then looked at Jiang Xiaoyi with disdain. “What a waste of good technology. Now you know how to use it? Storage room? Do you have any idea how much money I sank into designing this place?”
The man sighed. “Some people—even given more than adequate material conditions, they simply don’t know how to appreciate it. It really comes down to a lack of overall sophistication.”
“…”
A man dependent on someone else’s charity, and he still has the nerve to be picky?
Jiang Xiaoyi was now certain—whether he was the boss or not, Ye Zhen was equally infuriating either way. This kind of pettiness was simply bred into his bones, regardless of his status. She resolved to give him a proper reality check going forward.
But she had to admit, compared side by side, Ye Zhen genuinely seemed more like the true master of this mansion…
He led Jiang Xiaoyi around the entire estate once more, top to bottom, like a proud, showy host, expertly demonstrating the true purpose behind various design details throughout the house.
This magpie occupying the dove’s nest actually managed to feel superior about it.
Jiang Xiaoyi seethed with pent-up frustration.
Since Ye Zhen absolutely refused to leave, and to avoid arousing her mother’s suspicion, Jiang Xiaoyi had no choice but to tearfully let go of her housekeeper and, together with Ye Zhen, divide up the mansion’s territory: the second-floor guest quarters belonged to Ye Zhen, the third-floor master suite belonged to Jiang Xiaoyi, and the first-floor living room would be shared.
“Even though the first floor is shared, I’m the master of this house, so I have priority use of it. If I’m using the living room, unless there’s an absolutely unavoidable emergency, you’re obligated to step aside and yield the space to me. This principle applies to all shared spaces.”
Having endured his disdain the whole way through, Jiang Xiaoyi decided to reclaim some ground. “Also, since it’s because of you that I can no longer keep a live-in housekeeper, from now on, you’re the new live-in housekeeper.”
Ignoring Ye Zhen’s glare, Jiang Xiaoyi cleared her throat and continued. “Conveniently, my mother’s already enrolled you in that Male Virtue EMBA program, and the tuition’s all covered. There’s a cooking course included—time to improve yourself. From now on, cooking is your job.”
“I’m not going.”
Ye Zhen, clearly already well-versed in this world’s new rules, immediately and reasonably refused. “Mainly, this is for both our sakes. Think about it—you’re from a prominent, wealthy family, and as your nominal boyfriend, if I go out in public learning to cook, doesn’t that look like I’m restless, showing off inappropriately? I’m a man who values propriety—I can’t do something like that.”
Yeah, right.
Jiang Xiaoyi was well-prepared. “Don’t worry, men truly shouldn’t be out in public showing off—I’ll have the instructor come teach you at home. Etiquette classes, male virtue theory classes, all of it will be private home tutoring. We wealthy people, we can afford to be this indulgent—whatever I want you to learn, as long as there’s money involved, there’s nothing that can’t be done.”
She smiled at Ye Zhen. “Sure, your level of sophistication hasn’t quite caught up yet, but what can you do? Here, even with all your refinement, you’ll still have to listen to me, unrefined as I am.”
Having said this, Jiang Xiaoyi patted Ye Zhen on the shoulder. “Alright, now I’m going to go watch TV in the living room. All irrelevant personnel may take their leave.”
“…”
“Oh, and one more thing—I’ll send you tomorrow’s breakfast list in advance. Considering you haven’t gone through your formal culinary training yet, I’ll make a special exception and let you go buy it in the morning. But going forward, I expect you to prepare it yourself.”
Ye Zhen darkened his expression, gritting his teeth in protest. “Jiang Xiaoyi, don’t push it too far. I’m just your assistant—why should I even be buying your breakfast? I should only be assisting you with work at Ruiyi!”
Jiang Xiaoyi nearly burst out laughing. “Ye Zhen, you’re not exactly a wealthy elite anymore—how do you keep forgetting? I need to eat breakfast before I can work, so buying breakfast is naturally work-related. It falls squarely under your job responsibilities.”
“Does that sound familiar to you?” Jiang Xiaoyi gave Ye Zhen a meaningful look. “Don’t worry, take your time getting used to it. There’s plenty more coming that you’ll find quite familiar.”