When Chu Yuxuan arrived, he coincidentally saw Zhao Yanan at the entrance. The renowned beauty of Jiangcheng, wrapped in a beige trench coat, huddled under the porch with her neck tucked in, blowing on her hands to warm them. She seemed to be quite cold.
Chu Yuxuan shook his head with a smile, pretended not to see her, and walked straight towards the door.
Zhao Yanan, who had been waiting for him, hurriedly picked up the gift she had placed by her feet and quickly stepped forward.
As she reached the entrance, the security guard was checking Chu Yuxuan's invitation. The roguish young master glanced at her with a sideways look and said, "Wife, been waiting long?"
Zhao Yanan knew this scoundrel would say something snarky, but this was exactly what she wanted. By using the "wife" label, she could enter with Chu Yuxuan, and the security guard wouldn't stop her, right?
Sure enough, the security guard just glanced at her and then saluted, "Welcome!"
As soon as they entered, Chu Yuxuan couldn't help but tease, "So this is what you meant by not counting on me?"
Zhao Yanan responded coldly, "I got in on my own merit."
"Oh? Really?" Chu Yuxuan stopped, gave a devilish smile, and then turned to call out, "Security, this woman…"
Zhao Yanan quickly grabbed his tie, giving him a warning look. "Chu Yuxuan! Don't push your luck!"
Chu Yuxuan stared at her, his long, narrow eyes full of amusement, and in a tempting tone, he said, "Ask nicely."
"Chu Yuxuan."
"Hmm?"
Zhao Yanan took a deep breath. "You're nothing but a shameless, despicable, dirty, hypocritical scoundrel!"
She spat out all the words in her heart, feeling an unexpected sense of relief.
Chu Yuxuan raised an eyebrow. "Your way of asking for favors is… quite unique. But don't call me a 'hypocrite' to compliment me—I'm shameless and proud of it, haha…"
Zhao Yanan shot him a glare and strode ahead.
Like a piece of sticky gum, Chu Yuxuan stuck close by her side. "Hey, you must be freezing, right? My lecherous old man came earlier. Why didn't you ask him to bring you in? Or did he already go in before you arrived?"
Zhao Yanan replied irritably, "Chu Yuxuan, can we pretend we don't know each other? Stop bothering me!"
"We're not really that close anyway!"
Zhao Yanan: "…"
Inside Villa No. 3, handsome men and beautiful women were plunging into the hot springs like dumplings, their bold swimsuits contrasting with the falling snow, creating a unique atmosphere.
Those who were older gathered indoors, drinking, chatting, enjoying performances, and indulging in elegant pastimes.
Wang Long was under the eaves, sipping tea and chatting with a close friend when he happened to look up and saw Zhao Yanan, with her beautiful but annoyed expression, followed by the carefree and mischievous Chu Yuxuan.
"Whoa? This young couple looks quite the match…" Wang Long muttered, then stood up to greet them.
"Hey, nephew!" He bypassed Zhao Yanan and directly put his arm around Chu Yuxuan's neck. After greeting him, he finally looked at Zhao Yanan. "President Zhao… Oh dear, I almost forgot! I should be calling you niece-in-law now!"
Chu Yuxuan smiled but said nothing.
Zhao Yanan politely smiled back and presented the prepared gift with both hands. "Director Wang, happy birthday!"
Wang Long waved his hand dismissively. "We're all family; no need to be so formal with me."
As he spoke, he glanced at Chu Yuxuan, scanning him up and down, and clicked his tongue. "Nephew, did you really come empty-handed?"
"Not exactly," Chu Yuxuan pulled a plastic bag out of his suit pocket, grinning slyly. "Didn't you say you had two good bottles of wine? Save them for me later."
Zhao Yanan: …
"Goodness…" Wang Long was stunned. "You're like a bandit!"
After some banter, the three of them moved inside and sat by a window. Wang Long personally brewed tea, and he and Chu Yuxuan began reminiscing about the old days.
Zhao Yanan sat awkwardly beside them, nodding and agreeing every now and then, responsible for pouring tea and serving them.
When had this young lady ever been treated like this? But fate was playing tricks on her. If her father hadn't had his accident, she wouldn't have to handle these social matters herself.
Today, she had gone to great lengths to meet Wang Long, hoping to ask him for a favor.
But once these two started chatting, they never stopped, leaving her no chance to speak. She could only wait until they were done to find an opportunity.
After sitting with them for a while, Zhao Yanan began to feel something was off.
Chu Yuxuan, who was usually fearless and sharp-tongued, had completely changed his demeanor. Instead of being his usual rude self, he was surprisingly serious, talking more than usual. Every time Wang Long was about to finish a topic, Chu Yuxuan would naturally introduce another, keeping Wang Long talking endlessly.
As she thought about it, she happened to catch Chu Yuxuan's side glance at her, along with a barely noticeable mischievous smile on his lips.
"This scoundrel! He's doing it on purpose!"
Zhao Yanan felt a surge of anger. After a moment of consideration, she discreetly placed her right hand under the table and gave a hard twist to Chu Yuxuan's waist.
The roguish young master, who had been talking eloquently, suddenly gasped and stood up abruptly, glaring at Zhao Yanan.
She looked at him with an innocent expression as if to say, "What's wrong?" But there was a subtle warning in her eyes.
Wang Long's expression turned curious. "What's wrong, nephew?"
Chu Yuxuan bit his cheek, stared at her innocent face for a moment, and then smirked. "I got a cramp."
"A cramp?" Wang Long blinked. "Should I call someone to give you a massage?"
Chu Yuxuan moved his chair back. "No need, I'll be fine after a rest…"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yanan chimed in, "Director Wang, just let him rest here… By the way, I heard you two talking about the past just now. Could you tell me about Yuxuan and Xia Zhu?"
Wang Long was taken aback, laughing awkwardly. "That… That's all in the past. Why bring her up?"
As he spoke, he was secretly kicking Chu Yuxuan's leg under the table.
The real reason Zhao Yanan had married into the Chu family was never disclosed by Chu Zhiqing. He had only mentioned that it was an arranged marriage from years ago.
Therefore, Wang Long had no idea that their marriage was a sham and assumed both were simply obeying their fathers' wishes.
Chu Yuxuan frowned, curling his right leg, which had been kicked three or four times. He patted off the dust and said, "Why kick me? She's asking you."
Wang Long: …
Zhao Yanan chuckled lightly. "Director Wang, please tell me. I won't mind."
Wang Long coughed a few times and reluctantly began to speak.
However, being an old hand, he skillfully avoided the heavy topics and barely mentioned anything substantial before shifting the conversation entirely to Xia Zhu, talking about how he had supported her in the past and how he didn't want to support her now.
"President Zhao—no, niece-in-law, although Xia Zhu is still one of your company's top stars, to be honest, I don't plan to cast her in my new drama. You know, her reputation has taken a hit lately, with all those rumors about her dating rich men. I can't afford to take that risk."
Zhao Yanan pondered for a moment. "It's true that our company didn't handle that issue well… How about this, Director Wang? I happen to have a new actress on hand who has been a background actor for a few years and has impeccable professionalism. How about I arrange for her to meet with you sometime? If you don't think she's suitable, I'll take her away without causing you any trouble."
In fact, when Zhao Yanan learned that Xia Zhu was Chu Yuxuan's ex-wife, she knew Xia Zhu's new role was doomed.
Whether or not Chu Yuxuan would retaliate was one thing, but given Wang Long's relationship with him, he would definitely stand up for his nephew.
Upon hearing her words, Wang Long realized he had been duped. Zhao Yanan had deliberately brought up Xia Zhu to steer the conversation toward work?
Given how far things had gone, and with Chu Yuxuan right there, Wang Long had no choice but to agree, even if he didn't want to.
Chu Yuxuan glanced at Zhao Yanan, a smile in his eyes, and silently mouthed, "Nice move!"
Just then, there was a commotion outside.
Chu Yuxuan turned his head, looking through the bright floor-to-ceiling windows into the courtyard.
It turned out that a few actors from Wang Long's previous drama had arrived, causing a stir among the young people in the pool.
Xia Zhu and Gao Ning were among them.