The Game of Feigning Retreat to Advance

Old Qin leaned in and asked, "Did Little Song call you?"

An Yang was taken aback and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Yesterday it was still Manager Song, and today it's Little Song. These old folks these days, really hard to figure out...

"Little Song asked you out, didn't she?"

"...What exactly are you trying to say?"

Old Qin gave a knowing smile. "Little Song is a nice girl, and her family background is good too. Make sure you seize the opportunity!"

"...Boring!"

Old Man He was grinning slyly beside him, clearly having already heard about yesterday's events from Old Qin.

An Yang asked again, "By the way, what were you doing at Mingyang Group yesterday? Quite the grand show!"

"Oh... the grand show wasn't for me. A few days ago, the Jinguan City Industry and Commerce Bureau Director was placed under dual investigation. Word is Mingyang Group had a hand in it. Recently, a new director was parachuted in. A new broom sweeps clean, as they say, and the previous director who got investigated had shady ties with Mingyang Group. So that first sweep landed right on Mingyang Group. They invited this old bones over through an old friend's connection to accompany the new director on an inspection."

An Yang nodded, showing he understood.

Mingyang Group had invited him under the pretense of accompanying the new director on an inspection, but in reality, they were using Old Qin to intimidate this new broom eager to sweep clean, letting him know Mingyang Group wasn't so easy to burn.

From the looks of it, Old Qin's status seemed far from ordinary!

Jinguan City was the top city in the southwest, and the Industry and Commerce Bureau Director held considerable power. Yet Mingyang Group, an international corporation, had called on Old Qin to hold the line!

An Yang shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Whether it was matters of officialdom or business, it was all too complicated and had nothing to do with him. He had no interest in it.

The next afternoon, An Yang received a call and went downstairs. A white Audi R8 Coupe was parked beneath his rented apartment. Song Hanshan was half-leaning against the car, and her eyes lit up when she saw him.

"You're finally here. Get in."

An Yang carefully examined this sports car, priced at nearly two million. He had to admit the model was quite beautiful, but the price tag made him balk.

"The life of the rich is something else. Look at this car. No wonder they call you Manager Song of Mingyang Group!"

An Yang clicked his tongue in admiration as he pulled open the door and got in.

Song Hanshan also slid into the driver's seat, started the engine quickly, and the sports car glided forward smoothly at a slow pace. She said casually, "So what if I'm Manager Song of Mingyang Group? I'm still just a woman. If I want someone to eat with, I have to ask myself."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed An Yang's face. "Ahem, well... I'm just an ordinary person. I don't have the capital to be a kept man. Walking alongside a rich beauty like you puts too much pressure on me. I wouldn't dare ask you out."

Song Hanshan let out a soft laugh. "Ordinary person? Rich beauty? Too much pressure? I don't see any pressure or inferiority in your eyes. Besides, someone who can be friends with Old Qin can't be ordinary."

"Who says I'm not inferior? Who says I'm not ordinary? My family has been ordinary for generations. Never mind anything else, just this car of yours would take me twenty years to afford."

Song Hanshan glanced at him, paused, and said, "How about I give you one, and from now on you obediently be my kept man?"

An Yang nearly choked on his saliva. "Ahem, I'm poor and not even handsome. What do you see in me?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's love at first sight. A man's looks don't matter much anyway, and I really don't care that you're poor. My money is enough for both of us for eight lifetimes."

An Yang twitched the corner of his mouth, wondering if this was what they called protagonist aura, or if the scene when he first helped Song Hanshan had really left that deep an impression on her.

Song Hanshan asked again, "You haven't answered me yet. Are you willing to be my kept man? I'll guarantee you endless wealth and glory."

An Yang was at a loss.

How had he never noticed this woman was such a tease!

"Forget it, Your Majesty. Being a kept man has no future and no status. Besides, there's already a woman at home..."

"Screech!"

Song Hanshan slammed on the brakes, the sound sharp, and turned to stare at him in surprise. "You have a girlfriend?"

Although An Yang had only helped her once, his skill back then had left a mark on her heart. By this reckoning, he was the first man to make her heart flutter.

An Yang nodded. "Yeah."

Song Hanshan quickly composed herself and started the sports car again, but the atmosphere had grown quiet. Even this powerhouse of the corporate world didn't know how to handle the situation.

"Don't mind me. That was just a joke earlier. I figured since we're not that familiar, I had to find some topic to keep the conversation going..."

"I know."

The car fell silent again. Song Hanshan didn't feel like talking, but she didn't want to leave An Yang in the cold, so she kept searching for things to say.

"Where do you work?"

"I just lost my job. I'm unemployed now."

Song Hanshan paused. This topic didn't seem like a good one.

Almost every man would be unhappy talking about losing his job, especially in front of a beautiful woman. Yet An Yang's expression when he said it was completely casual, as if he didn't care at all about having a job. That kind of attitude usually only appeared in people with strong confidence.

Song Hanshan pondered as she kept looking for conversation.

"I see... Is your home in Jinguan City?"

"No, my hometown is Yan City, a third-tier city. The place in Jinguan is rented."

Rented!

A hint of disbelief flashed in Song Hanshan's eyes. She quickly realized this topic wasn't good either and said with a bitter smile, "Do you have to be so detailed? It's not like I'm after your family's money."

An Yang said with a smile, "I'm just giving you a heads-up about my situation early on, so you understand the gap between us."

"...It's not like I can't find someone else and have to cling to you!"

An Yang let out a hearty laugh. "Haha, just kidding."

The car pulled up outside the Shangri-La International Hotel, and immediately dedicated valets came to park the vehicle, while others guided the way.

This was probably the most expensive hotel in Jinguan City!

"Let's go, I've already booked a table."

"It's just the two of us, eating at the Shangri-La—you're putting pressure on me."

Song Hanshan said, "What pressure is there? It's just a slightly pricier hotel. I don't usually come here either, but today I have a distinguished guest like you."

An Yang chuckled lightly. "What kind of distinguished guest am I?"

As soon as they stepped into the hotel, the thick carpet felt soft underfoot, but then a slender figure approached from ahead, and An Yang's gaze froze.

He could never forget that figure, after all, she had accompanied him through all of college and slept beside him for three full years. The two had been deeply in love, perhaps both once believing they'd walk to the end of life together, but reality was ultimately too cruel.

Her attire was very appropriate, her figure excellent. As she drew closer, he could make out her delicate makeup—unquestionably a beauty, exuding a scholarly and intellectual elegance.

She was holding the arm of a middle-aged man, smiling brightly. Beside the middle-aged man walked a still-attractive middle-aged woman, radiating an air of luxury and grace.

An Yang gave a bitter smile. Was it inevitable that once a man turned his life around, he'd run into his ex-girlfriend everywhere—on the street, in malls, jewelry stores, hotels?

With the Time-Space Travel Phone, he supposed he had turned his life around, right?

But reality wasn't full of so much melodrama. Beautiful women graduating and immediately latching onto wealthy men were a minority, especially since Jiang Xinrou's family background was already very good. She had no need to sell herself for gain.

That was also the reason they had broken up.

The middle-aged man and woman were her parents.

The distance between them was less than ten meters and closing. Jiang Xinrou spotted him too, her smile instantly freezing, until they passed each other.

She didn't speak, and An Yang remained silent.

Thinking back to when they first parted, they had both been heart-wrenchingly pained, but now it seemed like a joke. Love nurtured in a greenhouse couldn't withstand any storm, especially since he already had Xiao Qian.

But now, he could stand calmly before her parents, couldn't he? Too bad...

Inside the luxurious private room, the two faced a massive round table laden with dishes. An Yang's phone suddenly rang—a text from a number both unfamiliar and familiar. He casually opened it—

She's very beautiful.

An Yang hesitated, then set down the phone without replying or explaining, only growing more silent than before.

Song Hanshan noticed his change. "Did you know that woman just now?"

"Yeah, my ex-girlfriend."

Song Hanshan let out a long "oh" and said, "I could tell. Very beautiful, well-dressed, and her family background seems good too. No wonder you're not the least bit swayed by me."

An Yang looked up at her and said self-deprecatingly, "I'm just an ordinary nobody. I can't match up to you rich beauties."

"Don't sell yourself short. Your relationship with Old Qin alone sets you apart from ordinary people."

"Old Qin and I are just casual friends. We greet each other when we meet, but I don't even know what he does."

"No way?"

An Yang nodded very seriously and asked, "Really. Disappointed?"

"No! That's not what I meant. Even if you and Old Qin are just casual friends, you must have qualities worth his acquaintance, just like when you helped me and then left without a word. I'm just surprised you don't know who he is!"

"Why would I need to know who he is? Oh, and back then, I didn't leave quietly to do a good deed without taking credit, nor was I indifferent to your beauty and wealth. I just had something urgent to take care of."

Song Hanshan was stunned, feeling at a loss for words.

"...Saying that already proves you're not indifferent to my beauty and wealth."

She could see it now—this man truly didn't care about many things. Like losing his job and apartment, like Old Qin who was clearly extraordinary, and like her.

An Yang said, "Not necessarily. Maybe I'm playing hard to get with you."

Song Hanshan was speechless again.

"...Eating alone isn't great. Want something to drink?"

"Going out with a beauty like you, of course we have to drink."

Song Hanshan hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, let's get a bottle of Maotai Aged Brew!"