Inside a luxurious villa.
Gu Wanqing lay in bed, unable to fall asleep.
All day, the image of Lin Ao walking away that afternoon had filled her mind.
"He... agreed..."
"He looked like he was in so much pain then. Does that mean he once had feelings for me?"
At the thought, she suddenly shook her head wildly.
"No. No, no, no. I've known Lin Ao since we were children. There isn't a shred of love in that man's eyes! Xiao Fan was right. He only cares about profit, and our engagement is nothing but a bargaining chip he can use."
Gu Wanqing smiled bitterly. Lin Ao was outstanding: the eldest legitimate son of the Lin family's main branch, and one of Jianghai City's famous aloof male idols.
He was the object of every socialite's pursuit. After graduating, he took charge of the company's businesses, large and small, bringing the Lin family another fortune.
The Lin and Gu families had been close for generations. Their grandfathers had arranged a betrothal for them when they were children. Gu Wanqing had secretly fallen for him at a young age and had always loved Lin Ao. When they grew up, she had even tried to confess her feelings, but all she ever got in return was his icy gaze and cold words.
"I understand. We were already engaged, so it doesn't matter whether we like each other. I have other things to deal with right now. I'll get back to work."
Those words from Lin Ao had completely shaken Gu Wanqing.
On top of that, Xiao Fan was always telling her that Lin Ao only cared about profit, that he was a work machine, and that he was marrying her for the sake of the Gu family.
And that was how things had come to a head that afternoon.
Xiao Fan was a young security guard who had recently joined her company, and he was exceptionally skilled in martial arts.
Once, when she'd left work late, some thugs had harassed Gu Wanqing, and he had rescued her.
It was a perfectly ordinary thing. If a boss was being harassed, wasn't it only right for her security guard to chase the thugs away?
For some reason, Gu Wanqing and Xiao Fan had inexplicably become good friends, and she told him all sorts of things.
He was the Child of Heavenly Mandate, for crying out loud. You could fart, and he'd think it smelled sweet.
Gu Wanqing sighed.
A resolute look entered her eyes. Then she would break off the engagement!
"Ding—!"
Her phone, resting on the bedside table, rang.
She picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was just a work report, so she set it back down.
She turned off the light and closed her eyes, about to sleep.
Wait. Why had she seen Lin Ao's name?
She picked up her phone again and opened the message. The contact name was indeed Lin Ao.
It was the first time he'd ever texted her, but she didn't know what to make of the message.
As she read, the corner of her mouth twitched.
"Thanks a whole lot, you big jerk!"
Gu Wanqing casually typed "1" and hit send.
She tossed her phone back onto the bedside table, pulled the covers over herself in a huff, and fell asleep.
At the Lin Family Manor, Lin Ao downloaded Douyin onto his phone.
It was the first time he'd ever had an entertainment app like this on his phone.
At last, he didn't have to be like the old Lin Ao, with his head full of work and schemes.
"Hahahaha, this one's hilarious!"
"Haha, this one's pretty good too!"
"Gasp—! You can watch this on Douyin? Still, it's not as nice as the black stockings worn by my company's employees."
Lin Ao had just opened the door to a whole new world with Douyin. He couldn't stop, absolutely couldn't stop.
Just then, Gu Wanqing's reply, "1," popped up on his phone.
Lin Ao was greatly relieved. It seemed being polite had been the right move—a perfect start to showing what a nice guy he was.
Seven the next morning.
Mother Lin called Lin Ao to get up for breakfast.
He came downstairs yawning, dark circles under both eyes.
"Rotting your brain with entertainment, I tell you. I said I'd go to bed after one more video, and then morning came."
He ate breakfast in a daze, muttering to himself nonstop.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
Li Wanyu looked at Lin Ao with concern. Could there really be something wrong with his health?
"Oh, I was experiencing all the different sides of life last night. I accidentally stayed up too late."
Lin Ao answered casually, thinking that scrolling through Douyin was exactly like experiencing all the different sides of life.
"You little brat, what kind of nonsense are you talking about? If you're feeling unwell, remember to see a doctor. And what about Wanqing? I told you to ask her out. Did you?"
This was what Li Wanyu cared about most. It concerned her future daughter-in-law, after all.
"I did. We arranged last night for her to come over at eight today."
Today was the day that would decide my future. How could I not make plans with her?
"Why did you ask her to come so early? Are you having her over for a meeting? Girls like to sleep in. What were you thinking?"
Lin Dong rebuked Lin Ao with an exasperated look. It was one thing for the boy to keep his own life so regimented, but he didn't understand girls at all when it came to dating.
"All right, all right. The young people can handle their own affairs. Let's head out and leave them to it."
After breakfast, Li Wanyu took Lin Dong out, so they wouldn't disturb the two of them.
Lin Ao thought, Isn't this a meeting?
We're having an engagement-breaking meeting.
After breakfast, Lin Ao started feeling sleepy again. He forced himself to sit in the living room, nodding off.
He wondered why that woman was taking so long to arrive.
"Miss Gu, this way, please. The young master has been waiting in the living room since early this morning. You can go right in."
A servant led Gu Wanqing to the living room to meet Lin Ao.
When Gu Wanqing entered, she saw Lin Ao sitting alone on the sofa, propping his chin up with one hand as he dozed.
His face looked haggard, with deep dark circles under his eyes.
Gu Wanqing froze.
"He... looks like he didn't sleep at all last night. Was he thinking about me breaking off the engagement all night?"
Gu Wanqing tiptoed over to Lin Ao.
She crouched in front of him and looked at the haggard man before her.
"I've never seen Lin Ao like this. He's always been so proud and cold. Judging by his reaction yesterday and how he looks now, the engagement really must have hit him hard. Those dark circles... Did he stay up all night?"
As Gu Wanqing thought it over, she shook her head to herself again.
She was here today to formally discuss breaking off the engagement. He'd made it clear that whether they liked each other didn't matter. In his eyes, feelings didn't exist.
Give up, Gu Wanqing.
But her hand couldn't help wanting to caress the man's face.
Just once. The first time and the last.
They would have nothing to do with each other after this. This would also be the first time Gu Wanqing touched Lin Ao.
Her hand moved gently, resting lightly against his sharply defined face.
Lin Ao looked his best like this. Asleep, his expression was soft, and his cold eyes were nowhere to be seen.
The instant Gu Wanqing touched Lin Ao, a faint electric current seemed to pass through her palm.
Suddenly, her vision went black, and a flood of information poured into her mind.
A wisp of red energy rose from both her and Lin Ao, then dissipated into the air.
When she opened her eyes again, before she could even sort through the information in her mind, she saw a transparent information panel appear over Lin Ao.
"?"
Gu Wanqing rubbed her eyes hard.
She leaned closer for a better look.
"What is this? Am I hallucinating?"
She rubbed her eyes hard again, but the information panel was still there!
She stared at it. It read:
[Name: Lin Ao] [Appearance: SSS] [Personality: Complex inner makeup.] [Hidden Attributes: Tsundere, sharp tongue but soft heart, completely defenseless against women's tears.] [Relationships: Father: Lin Dong, Mother: Li Wanyu, Fiancée: Gu Wanqing (pending confirmation).] [Current State/Thoughts: So sleepy. I want to sleep in bed.] [Favorability: 60.] [Heartbeat: 90.] [Current Goal: Break off the engagement.] [H-Index: 50.] [All data updates in real time.]
"..."
Gu Wanqing stared at the information, dumbfounded.
Then a pop-up appeared!
[Congratulations on breaking free from the Destiny Path!]
She waved her hand over the panel, only to find that her palm could pass right through it.
By accident, she slapped Lin Ao across the face.
She saw Lin Ao's panel data change.
[Current State/Thoughts: Terrified.] [Heartbeat: 130.]
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