Yang Zhao’s gaze flickered upon hearing Hua Man’s words in such an unexpected setting. A smile bloomed uncontrollably on her face as she reached out to take Hua Man’s hand. “What are you worried about? My skills are excellent.”
She tried to restrain herself, but every nerve in her brain buzzed with excitement. She took a step forward, intending to kiss Hua Man.
But Hua Man seemed to anticipate her next move. Before she could act, Hua Man spoke first. “Are you still going to race?”
Yang Zhao paused and looked at her seriously. “Do you want to leave?”
Her gaze then swept toward the woman from earlier.
“Come here.” She no longer asked Hua Man and instead turned a stern face toward the cowering woman.
The woman didn’t dare move, but the next second, someone shoved her forward.
“I… I don’t know anything.” The woman completely abandoned her earlier attempt to latch onto Yang Zhao, her face full of grievance. “I just chatted with her a bit!”
“She didn’t provoke me.” Hua Man frowned.
Because of Yang Zhao’s actions, all eyes in the room converged on them.
“Yes, I really didn’t provoke her.” The woman nodded frantically and added, “I just wanted to get to know Miss Yang. She refused me, and I didn’t say anything more!”
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhao’s eyes shifted slightly.
She wanted to get to know her, but Hua Man refused.
And now Hua Man was unhappy.
The reason for her unhappiness was easy to guess.
“What makes you think you can cozy up to my Manman and say things like that?”
Yang Zhao clicked her tongue. Though her voice carried displeasure, the amusement hidden in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
“I’m hungry.” Hua Man gripped Yang Zhao’s hand tightly.
Hungry?
Yang Zhao glanced at the others. As per the usual custom, the race winner had to treat everyone.
She had anticipated her victory long ago and had already arranged a cruise ship banquet for the evening. But it was still early; the sea view at night wouldn’t be at its best yet.
Still, nothing mattered more than Hua Man.
Hua Man clearly didn’t want her to make a fuss over that woman.
With that thought, she couldn’t help sighing inwardly. Her Manman was perfect in every way, but she was too soft-hearted and kind.
Why didn’t she understand? The kinder a person was, the easier it was for others to bully them.
People acted according to what they could get away with. Only by acting even tougher could she ensure no one dared to overstep.
In the end, though, she decided to go along with Hua Man’s wishes.
“Didn’t you hear?” She swept her gaze over the crowd. “Let’s go.”
“Yang Zhao, so early?”
The others were reluctant.
“We just got started. We haven’t had our fill of fun yet.”
Yang Zhao narrowed her eyes. “You don’t have to go.”
She hadn’t said anything harsh, but the group immediately fell silent.
The Yang family’s status was extraordinary. If everyone else went to the cruise ship and they didn’t, they’d become a laughingstock.
“I’ll take you to see the night view.”
Yang Zhao, walking at the front, slowly let a smile appear on her face. She didn’t care who followed or who didn’t.
Once one reached a certain status, nothing else mattered—only following one’s desires.
All she wanted was Hua Man.
The group headed grandly toward their luxury cars.
Hua Man couldn’t help asking, “Do I really have to go?”
“I’ve prepared a little gift for you there.” Yang Zhao’s eyes curved into a smile. “You have to go claim it, Manman.”
That meant she absolutely had to go.
Hua Man shut her mouth.
“Why are your hands so cold?” Once in the car, Yang Zhao rubbed Hua Man’s hands repeatedly. “Are you cold?”
It was already autumn, and the temperature differences between morning and evening could be significant, sometimes bringing a chill.
“It’s fine.”
As Hua Man spoke, she pulled her hand away.
Her hands still carried the sweat from earlier, feeling sticky.
But Yang Zhao misunderstood the gesture. “What’s this? You won’t even let me hold your hand now?”
Yang Zhao chuckled lightly. She directly sat in Hua Man’s lap, hooked her arms around her neck, and lifted her head to kiss her.
It was a dragonfly skimming water—a light press on the lips.
“Hm?”
“You wouldn’t let me kiss you earlier, and now you won’t let me hold your hand. Why?”
“Do you not want that woman to know me?”
She asked question after question.
With each one, she leaned in for another kiss on Hua Man’s lips.
Hua Man closed her eyes briefly, then calmly lifted her gaze to meet Yang Zhao’s. “What, do you want to get to know her?”
Such a Hua Man was truly amusing.
This was an unexpected delight.
Yang Zhao laughed out loud. “Can I?”
Hua Man didn’t answer. Instead, she directly cupped the back of Yang Zhao’s head, pressing their lips together firmly.
It was a kiss that could be called rough.
Not gentle at all.
Not delicate at all.
Like a wild beast eager to devour her whole. But compared to tender intimacy, Yang Zhao preferred this kind of kissing even more.
Her nerves, still thrumming from the race, ignited further. Yang Zhao parted her lips—not to receive Hua Man, but to launch her own aggressive counterattack.
Unfortunately, they were in a car.
Even more unfortunate, Hua Man disliked doing it in the car, especially with a driver up front.
Though the partition had dropped the moment she sat on Hua Man’s lap, blocking the driver’s view entirely.
But Hua Man was so strait-laced; she would never agree to it here.
If they ever did it in the car someday, Hua Man would be unimaginably sensitive.
A Hua Man that shy could get so worked up by the window—what would she be like in a car?
It wasn’t entirely impossible, though.
She had already mastered some techniques to get what she wanted from Hua Man.
Before her hands could wander further, Hua Man ended the kiss and gripped her hand.
Her hand was unceremoniously pulled away. Hua Man’s stern face and feigned calmness made her look especially adorable.
“It’s just touching.”
Yang Zhao sighed wistfully.
“We’re outside.”
Hua Man’s face flushed red.
“How is this outside?” Yang Zhao said nonchalantly. “Our car has excellent privacy tinting. No one outside can see us, and the driver up front can’t either.”
She sounded so righteous.
Hua Man took a deep breath. “Anyway, it’s not happening.”
Yang Zhao’s tone was firm. “I want to.”
Hua Man fell silent.
The car had slowly come to a stop, but Yang Zhao showed no intention of getting up, staring at her persistently.
Thus, as expected, Hua Man spoke. “Can we do it back home?”
“Back home? Didn’t you say there are kids at your place and we can’t? Are you sure you want to go back?” At this, Yang Zhao couldn’t hide her resentment.
Hua Man said calmly, “You can arrange for someone to watch Hua Xi.”
Getting the anticipated answer, a hint of laughter appeared in Yang Zhao’s eyes. But she feigned disappointment. “Fine.”
Then she quickly added, “But once we’re back, it won’t be so simple.”
Seeing the unique expression on Hua Man’s face, Yang Zhao chuckled helplessly and touched her cheek before getting out of the car.
Night had fallen, and the cruise ship glittered with lights.
Hua Man looked up at the lavish, luxurious scene.
The cruise ship was enormous, staffed with personnel ready to serve guests at any moment. They headed to the top deck, where a vast area was laid out with all sorts of food. Hua Man almost thought she was attending some grand banquet.
And it wasn’t just the young group from earlier—there were older people too, faces that looked vaguely familiar.
They seemed to be from the business world.
“Manman.” Yang Zhao whispered in her ear, “These are people you might encounter in your future work. Want to go meet them?”
Hua Man’s heart raced.
She was ambitious.
At this moment, she knew better than anyone how rare this opportunity was. Relying solely on herself, who knew how many years of struggle it would take to mingle directly with this crowd.
Exposure in front of them was incredibly valuable. Even taking a shortcut through Yang Zhao, she was eager to seize it.
“Can I?” She heard her own voice laced with tension.
“Of course.” Yang Zhao’s voice held laughter, inexplicably relaxing her. It was as if she were seriously considering Hua Man’s interests. “I can introduce you to them, but what identity should I use?”
Hua Man’s boiling blood froze in an instant.
Right—she was Yang Zhao’s lover.
What could that identity achieve?
It would only earn their contempt. They wouldn’t take her seriously at all.
Just a plaything.
The color drained from her face, leaving it as pale as snow.
Yang Zhao hated seeing her like this, but she held back, guiding her. “Right now, I can give you two choices. Want to hear them?”
Unsure what scheme Yang Zhao was cooking up, Hua Man asked gravely, “What choices?”
“Lover or fiancée. Your pick, Manman. Which do you think is better—lover or fiancée?”
Fiancée?
Hua Man froze completely.
Neither was ideal.
What Hua Man wanted was a completely independent identity of her own.
Moreover, Yang Zhao always felt like a hunter who had set a trap and was waiting patiently for her to jump in.
Most crucially, the gap between lover and fiancée was enormous.
Lover—such an alluring, ambiguous role.
Like a disposable toy.
But fiancée was different. Fiancée sounded solemn, something Hua Man had never considered.
As they spoke, people began approaching them.
With Yang Zhao’s status, she never needed to push into crowds—wherever she was became the center.
Like the bright moon in the night sky.
There could be many stars, but only one moon. No matter how many stars, they all orbited that single moon in the night.
“Who is this?”
Hua Man heard someone asking about her.
Yang Zhao’s voice carried a smile. “Manman, why don’t you introduce yourself to President Zhang.”
At that, Hua Man’s heart pounded like thunder. She didn’t look at the woman but fixed her gaze on Yang Zhao’s face.
Yang Zhao had tossed this multiple-choice question to her, forcing her to decide, while staying aloof herself.
Looking at her smiling eyes, the stuffiness in Hua Man’s chest suddenly eased. Giving her the choice meant Yang Zhao would be the one to lose.
“Fiancée.”
She heard her own firm voice.
“Hello, I’m Yang Zhao’s fiancée, Hua Man.”
Hua Man stepped forward and extended her hand proactively.
The woman glanced at Yang Zhao in surprise. Seeing the full smile on Yang Zhao’s face, she shook Hua Man’s hand. “Hello.”
“I hadn’t heard any news about your engagement before?” President Zhang said in surprise.
“She’s low-key.” Yang Zhao now spoke up proactively, linking arms with Hua Man in a sweet display.
More people gathered.
At first, the conversation revolved around Yang Zhao, but gradually it shifted to Hua Man.
Yang Zhao watched quietly as Hua Man chatted with the group, her eyes flickering.
Socializing Hua Man was a different Hua Man.
Confident and captivating.
Now, the soaring eagle had voluntarily entered the cage she had set.
She was hers.
The whole world would know—this was hers.
The drones flashing with lights gradually flew away.
