Not long after, Su Chen spoke, "Miss Lan'er, it seems you've already arrived at the An Yun Merchant Association."
Because he shielded the carriage, nothing could be heard from outside or inside. Zhou Lian had been calling from outside for quite a while, but Su Chen hadn't responded.
Seeing Zhou Lian's worried expression and unstable emotions, Su Chen spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Huh? Have we arrived already?"
Yang Lan suddenly realized how quickly time had passed. She felt so comfortable with Su Chen that she had completely forgotten about time, and she no longer minded Su Chen calling her "Miss Lan'er".
However, after thinking for a moment, Yang Lan still said shyly, "Young Master, could you please not call me Lan'er in front of outsiders?"
Su Chen played with her hand; the two were still holding hands, their fingers intertwined, intimately connected.
"Does Lan'er not like me?"
Yang Lan immediately waved her hand, hurriedly explaining, "I... I have no official status with you, young master. If you truly like me, you can propose to my father."
She was a virgin, and if she were to be so intimate with a man before marriage, people would surely gossip. Women are naturally vain and proud, and such things would be hard for them to accept.
Su Chen laughed and said, "Alright... give me a kiss, and I won't call you Lan'er anymore."
Yang Lan froze on the spot.
Kiss... give me a kiss?
Looking at Su Chen's face, although she wasn't opposed to it and even had a hint of anticipation, her ladylike reserve prevented her from doing such a thing.
"Just kidding, let's go, let's go downstairs."
Seeing this, Su Chen shook his head and did not insist. He then stepped out of the carriage.
Zhou Lian had already sent a message to the President of the An Yun Merchant Association, so there were quite a few people standing at the entrance of the Trade Association. The person in the lead was Yang Lan's father, Yang Xizhi, who was also the President of the An Yun Merchant Association.
Seeing that the carriage had not moved for a long time, Yang Xizhi couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
But Zhou Lian said that Su Chen was Immortal King, so he didn't dare to urge him and could only stand there anxiously.
But at that moment, Su Chen stepped down from the carriage, followed by the shy Yang Lan.
Yang Xizhi frowned slightly. Why was his daughter acting like this?
However, he did not lose his manners and quickly stepped forward to bow:
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
While they were talking, Yang Lan quickly walked behind her father and stood there obediently, but her beautiful eyes never left Su Chen.
After their previous interactions, Yang Lan developed a stronger liking for Su Chen and grew to like him even more.
Su Chen said with a smile, "No need for formalities."
Yang Xizhi knew this wasn't the place to talk, so he led Su Chen into the Back Courtyard the Trade Association, which was usually where the Yang Family lived.
Yang Xizhi arranged a luxurious guest room for Su Chen, as Immortal King was of extraordinary significance to their An Yun Merchant Association.
If they could treat such a powerful figure well and gain his favor, it would be very beneficial to their Trade Association.
Yang Xizhi wasn't stupid; he could naturally see that Su Chen had feelings for Yang Lan, so he specially arranged for Yang Lan to receive Su Chen.
He wasn't buying his daughter for the sake of the Trade Association, but judging from Yang Lan's appearance, it was obvious that she also had feelings for Su Chen, so he thought it would be better to bring them together.
If Yang Lan could really be with Su Chen, that would be a wonderful thing.
In the Courtyard, Yang Lan looked at Su Chen with considerable embarrassment. "Young Master, if you encounter any difficulties adapting to the Trade Association, please feel free to tell me, and I can make arrangements for you."
"Anything you're not used to?"
Su Chen pondered for a moment, then blurted out, "The only thing I'm not used to is not having you. Why don't you come and live with me?"
Yang Lan was stunned. She didn't know how to answer, so she hurriedly said, "Young Master, I have some matters to attend to at the Trade Association, so I'll be leaving now."
She turned to leave, but Su Chen grabbed her, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her red lips.
The two were instantly intertwined. Yang Lan trembled uncontrollably, but she closed her eyes.
She was even subtly pandering to Su Chen without realizing it.
The two remained embracing for a long time, and Yang Lan and Su Chen's breathing began to quicken.
For Yang Lan, time seemed to stand still at this moment.
But at that moment, Su Chen released Yang Lan's mouth, a smile on his face, "It's delicious."
Yang Lan's face turned extremely red, and she turned her head away, not daring to look directly at Su Chen.
She never expected that Su Chen would be so bold as to kiss her directly. The key point is that, recalling that feeling, Yang Lan actually enjoyed and liked it very much.
Kissing... is this what it feels like?
Their relationship gradually warmed up.
But Yang Lan quickly calmed down; she hadn't completely lost herself in it.
"Young Master, I truly have many things to do. The Trade Association is currently in dire straits. Let's talk about it again once the Trade Association has stabilized, okay?"
Yang Lan's tone carried a hint of pleading; she genuinely still had things to do.
The An Yun Merchant Association was originally just a small Trade Association in the Imperial City. In recent years, it has become increasingly successful, which has led to suppression from its peers. Now, it is struggling to make ends meet.
The key issue is that they lack any real power or background in the Imperial City, while other forces all have some connection to the Imperial Family. Therefore, the An Yun Merchant Association is definitely no match for them.
Su Chen didn't press the matter further, but instead smiled and said after she agreed, "Alright, then go ahead."
Yang Lan immediately fled as if her life depended on it. She was genuinely afraid of being with Su Chen; if she continued to stay like this, she didn't know when Su Chen would devour her.
The atmosphere just now was so dangerous that it made her feel somewhat disoriented.
Fortunately, she hadn't completely lost her mind.
Back in the front hall, she quietly went to the Discussion Hall, which was already full of people, all of whom were management members of the An Yun Merchant Association, with Yang Xizhi at the head.
"President, they're pressuring us so much, should we just leave the Imperial City? We can't win anyway, and if we stay Imperial City, our Trade Association will probably struggle to function."
One of the Steward of the An Yun Merchant Association couldn't help but speak up.
Yang Xizhi shook his head helplessly. "No, I've already done my research. The demand for the Trade Association in other parts of the Cangyun Empire is already saturated. If we leave the Imperial City, we don't need to linger on; we might as well just disband."
"For the An Yun Merchant Association, the only way to survive is to stay in the Imperial City. If they go elsewhere, they will have very little room to survive."
Yang Xizhi's words immediately silenced many people.
Really.
In other parts of the Cangyun Empire, Trade Association have basically formed a system, making it difficult for them to infiltrate. Even if they could, they could not have developed to their current scale.
Only by remaining in the Imperial City can their Trade Association continue to develop.