When Pei Yue called him back, Shi Linchuan was making breakfast—two servings; he wasn’t yet ungentlemanly enough to let Xie Jinghe starve.

Of course, the main reason was that a light diet was required after getting a tattoo to avoid inflammation, which could affect the quality of the ink. After all, he was the one who did the work, and the name tattooed on the skin was his own.

As soon as the call connected, the woman let out a series of incredulous noises: “Are you kidding me, Boss? Texting me at five in the morning? Do you not need to sleep?!”

Shi Linchuan didn’t see anything shocking about that. He replied calmly, “There’s no need to sleep early while alive; one will naturally sleep enough after death.”

Pei Yue paused, then countered, “Aren’t you afraid of sudden death? I thought about it carefully; the number of times you’ve texted me in the middle of the night is just too high. My sweetie is starting to suspect I’m having an affair.”

Shi Linchuan only addressed the first point. He said, “Not really, I have experience.”

Pei Yue didn’t catch the deeper meaning of his words: “??”

The topic quickly shifted to business. Since there were a lot of things going on lately and it wasn’t easy to explain clearly over the phone, the two arranged to meet for a detailed discussion.

Pei Yue asked concisely: “Coffee shop?”

Shi Linchuan was even more concise, saying only one word:

“Car.”

“…You really have no sense of romance.”

The response to the woman was the beep-beep of a disconnected call.

Half an hour later, Pei Yue parked her car on the side of the road. She first sent a text message, then rolled down the window, rested her chin on one hand, and fixed her gaze on the villa area in the distance.

It was a clear winter day, and sunlight was scattered all over the ground.

From far away, she saw a man walk out of the main gate of the complex. He scanned left and right, then walked straight toward the corner where she had parked.

The man was in his early thirties, tall and lithe, dressed in casual loungewear with a light gray trench coat over it.

He walked closer, stepping through the scattered light spots on the ground. The wind tousled his black hair, revealing those unobstructed eyes.

Deep, and cold.

Pei Yue couldn’t help but let out a soft “Wow.” She reached out the window to wave, and after the man had climbed into the passenger seat with brisk efficiency, she asked:

“Boss, did you finally give up those god-awfully ugly black-framed glasses? I told you long ago, those glasses really didn’t suit you at all; they always made you look like something was off.”

In front of Pei Yue, Shi Linchuan didn’t need to maintain his gentle and affectionate persona from daily life; he had always been straightforward with her.

“Did you bring the contract?”

Pei Yue shrugged, twisted her body to dig a brand-new file folder out from the backseat, and handed it to the man.

“Just printed it out. Take a look first, though I believe no artist could reject such generous and relaxed terms. I have a much better conscience than Fu Guang Entertainment. In all my years in the industry, I’ve never set traps for people…”

“Other companies couldn’t offer these conditions. In my opinion, this matter has a high probability of succeeding. By then, you won’t have to worry about the mess at Fu Guang Entertainment; our company’s legal team will follow up.”

Shi Linchuan took it, pulled out the A4 printed paper to read, and gave a lukewarm “Mm.”

It was only then that Pei Yue realized something was wrong. She leaned closer toward the passenger seat, squinting her enchanting cat-like eyes, only to quickly widen them in surprise.

Her voice was astonished.

“…Boss, is that a slap mark on your face?”

The man had a cool-toned, fair complexion and pale lips. On the lower part of his left cheek, there was a faint red patch. Only when she was this close could she see that the red mark resembled the shape of a palm print, fading but not yet gone.

Shi Linchuan turned a page of the document in his hand. Hearing this, he glanced up at Pei Yue. His eyes were narrow and sharp, and his tone was like a knife—quick to strike, quick to withdraw, without a hint of lingering.

“You’re blocking the light.”

Pei Yue gave the man a thumb-up, speechless.

She leaned back, her spine pressing against the car door, and remarked with great emotion, “…You really are destined to be single forever.”

Shi Linchuan was excellent at multitasking, answering offhandedly: “I’ve been married for three years; worry about yourself.”

Seeing the topic veer back, Pei Yue went with the flow and continued: “Then, after the dinner party ended last night, did your partner of three years actually hit you?”

Before Shi Linchuan could answer, she waved her hand and spoke in the tone of a veteran: “That’s why I told you long ago, right? Don’t be bored and go testing love; this thing simply cannot withstand being probed…”

Shi Linchuan realized Pei Yue had misunderstood.

Not many people knew he and Xie Jinghe were secretly married, and Pei Yue was one of them; she was even the person who knew the most inside information. From her perspective, his hiding the truth about his work, his financial status, and his true personality from his partner, and deliberately letting her create misunderstandings… she had probably concocted some sort of script in her head.

However, Shi Linchuan didn’t want to explain anything, nor did he feel the need to explain to anyone else.

He finished reading the contract, confirmed there were no issues, and stated directly: “Contact him proactively in a few days. You will arrange a meeting.”

“Alright, anyway, I already exchanged contact info with him at the banquet last night…” Pei Yue made an ‘OK’ gesture, her smile charming and flamboyant. “How about I send him a message in the next two days?”

After she finished speaking, she pondered for a long while before suddenly asking: “Um… I’m just not sure if it’s convenient for him. Could you give me a heads-up?”

Shi Linchuan looked straight ahead, tapping his index finger on the document, and said only: “Next week.”

“Done. Once this is settled—” She paused, then raised an eyebrow, “As the big boss, do you want me to report the progress to you in real-time?”

Shi Linchuan said: “No need.”

He suddenly turned his head to look at Pei Yue. His eyes absorbed all the sunlight, resembling a lake that hadn’t yet thawed, with something churning and rolling deep beneath the surface, as if wanting to break through the ice.

Shi Linchuan curled his lips and said slowly and methodically: “You arrange the time with him. Set the location at my office. By then…”

“—I will negotiate personally.”

It was a sentence with a steady tone and calm cadence, yet Pei Yue heard the implication of biting into flesh and blood, tinged with a hint of pleasure.

She seemed to see a beast that had been lying in ambush for a long time suddenly leaping out of the forest, pinning an unsuspecting little animal to the ground, opening its mouth to swallow and devour it.

Pei Yue felt her scalp go numb and couldn’t help but hiss. She suddenly felt very sympathetic toward Xie Jinghe, who was being targeted by this man.

How did he provoke this person?

Pei Yue gathered her expression.

“I have no objections. You’re the big boss; you call the shots…” She shrugged again. “But you haven’t forgotten our original agreement, right?”

Shi Linchuan nodded and said calmly: “I haven’t forgotten. If things proceed smoothly, you’ll be the big boss soon enough.”

Hearing this, Pei Yue couldn’t help but reveal a look of joy. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to go from being a worker to being the boss?

She glanced at the man’s handsome profile, smoothed the curve of her lips, and teased: “Are you really willing to give the company to me?”

Shi Linchuan gave a slight nod and stated matter-of-factly,

“You are worth it.”

In the setting of the original story, he was just an ordinary employee at a mid-sized company—not high-ranking, not low, with a matching salary. Fortunately, the job was stable, and his life was calm and uneventful.

However, on the second day after transmigrating into this world, Shi Linchuan had resigned from that company immediately. He decisively invested all his assets into the virtual market, accumulating the first bucket of gold for his startup.

He had no interest in wasting time in a place like that.

He was accustomed to thinking three steps ahead, so he naturally wanted to keep the progress of his mission firmly in his own hands, rather than sitting there watching events unfold and responding passively.

That wasn’t Shi Linchuan’s style.

He had only been maintaining the facade of an ordinary office worker in front of Xie Jinghe. If the other man’s profession wasn’t that of an entertainer, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hide it for so long.

One other point was…

Xie Jinghe had never doubted him.

Well, that unconditional trust probably ended last night.

As for Pei Yue—

She was a supporting character who had appeared in the original book. Even though the novel didn’t write much about her, one could still tell from between the lines that she was a person with strong work capabilities, extreme ambition, and a set of bottom-line ethics.

Shi Linchuan needed a partner like this.

He had an agreement with Pei Yue. To summarize it in one sentence: after Shi Linchuan completed his mission, NO1 would be taken over entirely by her, making her the sole person in charge of the company.

Counting the time, it was almost there.

After Shi Linchuan said the words “You are worth it,” Pei Yue’s expression was strange for a moment; it looked a bit like a toothache. She rubbed her chin and asked in total confusion:

“…How on earth do you manage to make people think you’re mean-spirited and ungentlemanly, yet also make them think you’re cool?”

Just relying on his face didn’t seem like it would achieve this effect.

“Has anyone ever chased you before?” She tilted her head and couldn’t help but sigh, “How strong of a heart would someone need for that…”

Actually, Shi Linchuan had a decent opinion of Pei Yue. Their collaboration over the past few years had been quite in sync, and they were very comfortable with each other.

He cast a light glance at the woman and suddenly picked up on the conversation, nodding: “There was.”

There certainly was.

In his original world, Shi Linchuan was a child of heaven envied by many. There were many people who pursued him, regardless of gender.

He was just repulsed by that sort of thing. He had never accepted anyone’s advances, let alone pursued them back.

Hearing this, Pei Yue’s cat-like eyes widened, looking straight at him.

Shi Linchuan pondered for a moment and gave an example that had left the deepest impression, though his tone and expression remained very flat, as if he were discussing what to have for lunch.

“There was once a woman who pursued me for five years. She said it was love at first sight, that she would marry no one but me, used every means possible to get close to me, and wanted to marry me…”

Facing Pei Yue’s gaze, Shi Linchuan paused, then suddenly laughed and continued: “Later, she became one of my father’s many mistresses and even gave birth to a younger brother for me. During holidays, I still have to offer her my greetings.”

Pei Yue: “…Are you for real?”

Shi Linchuan: “Of course I’m lying. I’m an orphan. I have no kin.”

Seeing Pei Yue’s expression become utterly speechless, he curled his lips and steered the conversation to another important matter.

He asked: “How is the preparation for the variety show going?”

Pei Yue narrowed her cat-like eyes and reported: “Everything is proceeding according to your instructions. It’s almost ready; the other two pairs of guests have basically been locked in…”

Shi Linchuan nodded: “Mm.”

After finishing the chat with Pei Yue, he didn’t rush to get out of the car. Instead, he had her drop him off at a nearby optical shop so he could get a new pair of glasses.

Even though his prescription wasn’t strong, Shi Linchuan had gotten used to the feeling of wearing glasses. The sudden emptiness on the bridge of his nose felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Pei Yue dropped him off at his destination. Before leaving, she flipped her curly hair and called out to him: “Bye—”

“Next week. See you at the company.”

Shi Linchuan didn’t look back.

He simply raised his hand to signal he understood.

“…”

Standing in front of his door, Shi Linchuan didn’t immediately unlock it to enter. He first adjusted the new glasses on the bridge of his nose, then pulled the phone out of his trench coat pocket and checked the time.

He had left at 8:30.

It was now 9:23 AM.

Click.

Shi Linchuan tucked the phone away and pushed the door open. As soon as he looked up, he caught sight of Xie Jinghe standing barefoot at the entryway, half his face buried in his black scarf, his fingers tightly gripped, his eyelashes fluttering like wings.

It was just a well-used scarf.

Xie Jinghe held it and took a deep, lingering sniff. Every breath was incredibly drawn-out, his expression dazed and infatuated, as if he were still immersed in some beautiful dream from which he hadn’t yet awakened.

In an instant, Shi Linchuan’s mood plummeted.

But his expression didn’t change at all.

He just stood by the door, hands in his pockets, and teased slowly: “Smelling my clothes again? Exactly what scent do you love so much? The scent of a scumbag?”

As soon as he finished speaking.

Xie Jinghe jerked his face up. His expression shifted rapidly, as if he had suddenly woken from an illusory dream, looking somewhat at a loss.

Shi Linchuan paced forward.

He didn’t change his shoes.

Thump, thump, thump—

Every step the man took felt like it was falling on a drumbeat.

Xie Jinghe’s heartbeat seemed to be assimilated by this rhythm. He couldn’t help but take two steps back, his back hitting the wall. The man continued to close the distance, his tall frame enveloping him completely, trapping him in this confined space.

The air was stagnant.

Xie Jinghe suddenly felt a sense of panic and oxygen deprivation.

He wanted to breathe deeply, but suddenly caught a strange fragrance on the man.

It was the scent of a woman’s perfume.

So, Xie Jinghe bit his lip, raised a hand to push against the chest pressing in on him, and said out of the blue:

“Why do you smell like women’s perfume? Where did you just go?”

Shi Linchuan: “…”

At the same time.

The system let out a massive sound in his mind…

“Oh ho.”