He's so annoying, I don't want to deal with him anymore!

Chu Tianqing really didn't want to cry. She thought it was too embarrassing, but she couldn't contain the hurt in her heart.

She pressed her lips tightly together and stubbornly turned her head, trying to swallow her tears.

Shen Heng watched her quietly, suppressing the urge to wipe away her tears. He didn't try to comfort her, either. After a long while, he said with restraint, "I'm doing this for your own good. His family is well-off and influential. He can ensure you never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your life."

"I don't care!" Chu Tianqing turned and glared at him, tears still glistening in her eyes. The sight of Shen Heng's icy face made her angry. "Why should I follow your arrangements? You're such an egomaniac. Do you think you're a god? Go introduce him to someone else! Stop bothering me!"

She let loose an angry tirade, but still didn't feel any better. She raised her hands and shoved Shen Heng hard, then lifted her skirt and fled the small sitting room.

When she reached the corridor, she glanced at the bustling main hall and decided to slip away early.

She didn't care what anyone else thought. She was throwing down her load and quitting. She was a fake heiress, an impostor, and no matter how well she kept up appearances, that fact wouldn't change.

Chu Tianqing chose to cut through the tea room, which would take her straight to the entrance hall, where she could get her coat and bag.

She walked very quickly, only to collide head-on with a tall figure as soon as she stepped out of the tea room.

"I'm sorry, excuse me," Chu Tianqing apologized at once. She looked up and saw a young, handsome man.

He steadied her and gave her a bright smile. "It's all right. Huh? It's you, little sister Xixi. What are you doing here? Your brother said he wanted to introduce us, but I waited ages and never saw you. I didn't expect to run into you here. We really must be bound by fate."

Chu Tianqing froze. She didn't recognize his face, but from what she said, she guessed this must be Ye Mingchen.

"Hello," Chu Tianqing said with a smile, having no intention of talking with him. "I have something to do, so I have to leave first. We can talk another day."

With that, she slipped past him and headed straight for the entrance hall to get her coat and bag. But when she came out, she saw Ye Mingchen waiting for her at the front gate.

He smiled and asked with concern, "Where are you going? Do you have a car? Let me give you a ride."

His intentions were obvious. Although Chu Tianqing had never been in a relationship, she understood how people dealt with one another. She slowed her steps and approached him, broaching the matter tactfully. "Mr. Ye, my brother actually told me about you, but my life is a mess right now, and I'm in no frame of mind to think about anything else. I hope you understand."

Ye Mingchen's smile didn't waver, and he didn't seem to mind. "OK, that's all right. But let me give you a ride anyway. It's not safe for a young woman to be out alone this late."

Chu Tianqing really wanted to say no, but he was always smiling. As the saying went, you couldn't bring yourself to strike a smiling face, and she really couldn't bring herself to refuse him.

In the end, she somehow found herself getting into Ye Mingchen's car.

Ye Mingchen was cheerful and loved to smile. He was easy to get along with, and he knew where to draw the line, never asking Chu Tianqing any questions that might offend her.

Before long, they arrived at Chu Tianqing's home.

Chu Tianqing thanked him, got out of the car, and walked around it toward the house.

Ye Mingchen rolled down his window and asked with a smile, "Little sister Xixi, can we exchange contact information?"

Chu Tianqing stopped and looked back at his smiling face. She truly couldn't bring herself to refuse.

She turned around and walked back, then took out her phone and exchanged contact information with Ye Mingchen.

After getting her contact information, Ye Mingchen didn't say much else. He waved goodbye to Chu Tianqing and drove away, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

Chu Tianqing stood there in a daze. After a long while, she came to her senses and exclaimed, "That man has turned into a spirit. How terrifying!"

Ye Mingchen had an impeccable family background and face, along with a smile and a good temper. Could any woman really refuse him?

He would surely spend his entire life in a state of "baby wants it, baby gets it."

Chu Tianqing returned home, and her taut nerves could finally relax. She scooped up Baogang, who had come to greet her, and gave him an incomparably affectionate hug. "Baogang, Mommy missed you to death!"

She kicked off her high heels and fell onto the sofa with Baogang in her arms. After taking a good while to recover, she took out her phone and found quite a few missed calls and message notifications.

Earlier, to avoid being disturbed by demons and monsters from all directions, she had simply put her phone on silent.

But this time, most of the calls were from Ms. Jiang, Papa Shen, and... Shen Heng.

Chu Tianqing pulled herself together and replied to Ms. Jiang and Papa Shen one by one, telling them she had felt a little unwell and left early, and that she was now home safe.

Lastly, there was Shen Heng. Chu Tianqing thought for a moment. Although she was still angry, she sent him a message to let him know she was safe.

One thing was one thing, another was another. He had helped her a great deal, and she was still living in his house. She couldn't dismiss him entirely.

Now that she thought about it, there was essentially no difference between being eager to help and having a desire for control. It was only a matter of degree.

Shen Heng didn't say much either, replying only with an "okay."

After that day, Chu Tianqing's life abruptly returned to peace. Those demons and monsters vanished all at once, and no one sent her sneaky messages to bother or provoke her anymore.

Chu Tianqing was delighted, and she also began to realize that she had the banquet that day, as well as Shen Heng, to thank for it.

No matter how things had unfolded, the outcome was good. She had to admit that her good big brother had helped her once again.

Once she had worked that out, Chu Tianqing began to reflect on whether she had gone too far that day. Why had she lost her temper with her good big brother? He really had meant well.

Chu Tianqing wanted to apologize, but her good big brother hadn't contacted her first, and she was too embarrassed to contact him.

She was too embarrassed to contact Shen Heng first, but someone else had no such qualms about contacting her, and that person was Ye Mingchen.

He hadn't been in Jincheng long and wasn't familiar with the place, so he wanted Shen Xixi, a Jincheng native, to show him around.

Chu Tianqing held her phone, hesitating. She didn't know how to reply to Ye Mingchen.

She understood that the sightseeing was just an excuse. If she accepted his invitation, she would be tacitly agreeing to the possibility of taking things further.

While she was still lost in thought, Ye Mingchen sent another message. As if he knew what was troubling her, he made a point of clarifying beforehand: Don't worry, it's just sightseeing. It doesn't mean anything. I just want to be friends with you.

Chu Tianqing deflated. All right, all right, all right. What else can I say? I might as well agree.

In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived, along with the time she had arranged to meet Ye Mingchen. Chu Tianqing went out dressed in street-stall clothes.

She hadn't made any special effort to dress up. There was no need, and it would be best if Ye Mingchen saw the difficulty and backed off.

Ye Mingchen came to pick her up, leaning against his luxury car in a fashionable casual suit, sunglasses perched on his face. When he saw Chu Tianqing, he happily waved her over.

Chu Tianqing paused, then put on a smile before walking over to him. "Hello, Mr. Ye."

Ye Mingchen took off his sunglasses and looked her up and down. Smiling, he said, "Don't be so formal. I'm two years older than you, so call me Brother Chen."

Chu Tianqing noticed his gaze and made a point of explaining, "Everything I'm wearing today, from head to toe, cost three hundred yuan in total. Mr. Ye—no, Brother Chen—this is the real me, not the eldest miss of the Shen family. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Ye Mingchen said with a smile, recalling the past, his eyes full of admiration. "The time before last that I saw you, you were dressed just like this, and you looked even more disheveled than you do now."