Zhao Yanan was woken up by the alarm clock and, after turning it off impatiently, she dozed for another half an hour. It wasn't until the alarm's "second line of defense" went off that she groggily sat up, looking both tired and annoyed.
The beautiful woman wasn't usually bad at getting up, nor did she have a morning grump. It was just that the people next door had been moving in the middle of the night, causing a disturbance until around two a.m. By the time she fell asleep, it was nearly three.
Since she woke up half an hour later than usual, Zhao Yanan didn't have time for breakfast. After washing up and putting on makeup, she hurried out with her bag.
After locking the door, she turned around and saw Chu Yuxuan, who had been peeping through the peephole for over half an hour, stepping out.
Seeing this man's face, Zhao Yanan's expression was beyond shocked. She even doubted whether she had slept badly and was seeing hallucinations.
"Hey? My dear wife, what a coincidence! You live here too?"
Zhao Yanan stared at him blankly for a while, then gritted her teeth, avoided looking at Chu Yuxuan as if she didn't recognize this perfect man with looks, physique, and wealth, and walked straight towards the elevator.
Chu Yuxuan followed casually, hands in pockets, a shallow smile on his lips, and stood beside Zhao Yanan.
"My dear wife, aren't you going to say hello to your husband? In feudal times, you'd be spanked for that."
Zhao Yanan gave him a sideways glance and said irritably, "Stop being so annoying!"
Chu Yuxuan shamelessly responded, "We're legally married. Even if you break it down, I'm not being annoying."
"Chu Yuxuan!" Zhao Yanan's face was cold. "I don't care what you're up to or why you moved here, but I warn you, stay away from me!"
"If you want the stars in the sky, I'll try to pick them for you. But this request... I can't fulfill."
"What nonsense are you spouting so early in the morning? How disgusting!"
"Being annoying is a good remedy for enhancing a couple's relationship."
Zhao Yanan rolled her eyes. "If you're still half asleep, go back to bed. Everything between us is fake, don't get too into it."
Chu Yuxuan was unfazed. "I don't mind if the fake becomes real."
Zhao Yanan took a deep breath, knowing that this shameless idiot had a skin thicker than bulletproof glass. No matter how kindly or harshly she spoke, it wouldn't make a difference. She thought about it and figured that psychological attacks might work better. She turned her face to him, her eyes glinting with mockery, and said, "Chu Yuxuan, is your infatuation so intense because Xia Zhu hurt you badly? After being a bootlicker for two years, are you about to go mad from repression?"
In reality, she didn't know that her supposed psychological attack might have had a subtle effect on Chu Yuxuan before, but now it was as useful as mineral water with a "D.D.T." label—totally ineffective.
"Jealous?"
Seeing Chu Yuxuan's relaxed demeanor and firm promises, Zhao Yanan almost fell into despair. She stopped arguing and gave up any hope of finding an immediate solution to make this annoying man back off. She pursed her lips and ignored him.
As the elevator doors opened, the nominal couple entered the elevator, one after the other.
Zhao Yanan intentionally kept a safe distance, as if there were mountains and seas separating them.
"My dear wife, I moved here to protect you. Just think about it, how unsafe it is for you, a woman living alone?"
"Stop calling me that! You're really annoying!"
Chu Yuxuan automatically filtered out Zhao Yanan's resistance and continued, "Although our country's public security is among the best in the world, we can't ensure that perverts have been eradicated, right?"
"They haven't been eradicated," Zhao Yanan shot him a glare. "There's one right in the elevator."
"Is this... judging others with your own narrow mind?"
Zhao Yanan:...
The elevator arrived at the underground floor.
Zhao Yanan strode towards her car and saw Chu Yuxuan's GTR parked next to her car from a distance.
"Nannan, nowadays we advocate energy conservation and environmental protection. Why don't you stop driving and let me give you a ride?"
This annoying man had finally stopped calling her "wife" and turned back to calling her "Nannan"?
Zhao Yanan found this intimate address quite awkward, giving her goosebumps. She frowned and said, "Either call me by my full name, or... just 'Xiao Zhao' will do."
"Alright, Nannan."
Zhao Yanan almost lost her composure, suppressing the urge to curse. She walked to the driver's side, only to discover something even more infuriating when she tried to unlock the car door.
"Where are my tires?!!"
Chu Yuxuan hurried over to check and found that the left front wheel of the Maserati was missing. He cursed angrily, "Who the hell did this? There are really too many perverts!"
Even a fool could tell who was responsible.
Zhao Yanan glared at the mastermind in front of her, gritting her teeth in anger. "Chu Yuxuan, are you bored out of your mind?"
Chu Yuxuan grinned, neither admitting nor defending himself, but instead pulled out his phone and pointed to the time on the screen. "Nannan, you're going to be late."
"You're not bored; you're shameless!"
"Thanks for the compliment," Chu Yuxuan said, opening the passenger door and making a "please get in" gesture. "Get in, I'm more than happy to be a horse for my dear wife."
Zhao Yanan was about to explode with rage but could only reluctantly get in the car.
On the way, the couple had no interaction, with Chu Yuxuan talking endlessly.
But, to be fair, Chu Yuxuan drove steadily, and Zhao Yanan's riding experience was excellent.
What surprised her even more was that the car was a manual transmission with an unusually long gear lever. In this day and age, who still drives a manual? She wondered what was so special about this annoying man.
When they reached the company's building, perhaps afraid of being seen by the employees coming to work with Chu Yuxuan, Zhao Yanan hurried to get out as soon as the car stopped.
"My dear wife, do I really look so unsightly?" Chu Yuxuan unfastened his seatbelt, smirking at her with a hint of grievance in his eyes.
Zhao Yanan's body stiffened, and she turned to glare at Chu Yuxuan. "I'll say it again, stop calling me that! And keep your distance in the company, keep your distance, keep your distance!"
Important things should be repeated three times.
Chu Yuxuan rubbed his chin. "How about we make a deal? If you let me call you 'Nannan' privately from now on, I'll agree to these two conditions. How about that?"
Although Zhao Yanan was angry, she thought this deal was worth it since she couldn't control this annoying man's mouth anyway.
However, she didn't respond, or it would only make him even more overconfident.
"You don't say anything, so I'll take it as a yes." Chu Yuxuan was secretly pleased.
Zhao Yanan got out of the car and slammed the door shut.
Turning around, she saw an old acquaintance.
Director Song, who had previously helped the Gao family suppress Zhao Yanan but had since turned over a new leaf, was standing at the parking lot entrance with a fawning smile. "Good morning, Zhao."
Zhao Yanan was taken aback for a moment, then stepped forward and said coldly, "Director Song, coming over so early, is there something you need?"
"The variety show project we finalized last year, the higher-ups said..." Director Song's words were interrupted when Chu Yuxuan appeared, and he quickly greeted him. "Good morning, Mr. Chu!"
Chu Yuxuan nodded as a response, finding this wall-flower irritating. If it weren't for Zhao Yanan, he wouldn't even bother with him.
"Continue speaking, just treat me as air."
"Oh, I... I'm actually just passing by and came to inform Mr. Zhao that the program team has decided to change the originally scheduled Sunday night broadcast time to Friday night, and the recorded broadcast has been changed to live. Also, the previously planned veteran actor judges have been replaced with people from major media companies."
The project Director Song was referring to was a talent show called I'm an Extra, which was supposed to feature minor actors but mostly included potential talents scouted by major media companies, including a new face from Qingya Media named Jin Shuhan, whom Zhao Yanan had covertly sent to the program team.
Clearly, the intention was to get these newcomers some exposure and build up their popularity.