You're with That Con Artist?

Welcome to Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years, exclusively produced by Feilu Novel Network, written by Sang Ze and narrated by Wang Xiaomo and Lao He.

None of Li Ruobing's trusted bodyguards were ordinary people. They were all former Special Forces soldiers, and their annual salaries alone ran into the millions.

But Li Ruobing did not pay them. The Li Family did.

No matter how deep her conflict with the family ran, Li Ruobing was still one of its core members and the eldest granddaughter of its senior branch. The family could fight among themselves until all hell broke loose, but that was an internal matter. When it came to threats from outsiders, they would never take a Li family member's safety lightly.

Wu Chen was not the only one who noticed the tail. Li Ruobing's bodyguards noticed it too. They had counter-surveillance skills, after all.

Wu Chen, however, knew at once who had sent the people following them. Li Ruobing's bodyguards could not have known.

"Lose them," Li Ruobing said. She was used to it. Someone in her position had been followed plenty of times, especially over the last four years. That bastard Ding Ruilong often sent people after her, particularly when she went out alone. It was as if he wanted to know everything about her.

Ding Ruilong truly had a need for control that bordered on pathological.

The convoy accelerated, but Li Ruobing frowned slightly. She was growing irritated. The tail made her think of Ding Ruilong, which in turn reminded her of the pressure from her family and the Bet.

In truth, Li Ruobing was not absolutely certain she could surpass Ding Ruilong in business. She had considered finding another way, but nothing seemed easy.

Wu Chen suddenly took Li Ruobing's hand and interlaced his fingers with hers.

Li Ruobing turned to look at him. Her irritation had wiped away her earlier smile, but Wu Chen met her gaze with a gentle smile of his own.

"Ruobing, don't worry," Wu Chen said when she looked over. "Your brother will be fine. I'm here."

Calling her "Ruobing" was like a signal that Wu Chen was acting. The driver and bodyguards were still there. Though they were all Li Ruobing's people, she had said they needed to fool everyone, so putting on a show in the car made sense. Yet his choice to say that just then felt strangely personal.

I'm here.

Li Ruobing felt a stir of emotion.

Wu Chen was no god, but he understood Li Ruobing. He really could guess what had just been on her mind. For instance, he knew she had mistaken the car following them for one sent by Ding Ruilong.

Half an hour later, the convoy returned to Huancai Fashion Company in Building Seven of the CBD. Wu Chen completed his hiring formalities and officially became the company president's assistant, with a monthly salary of twenty thousand yuan.

Afterward, Li Ruobing personally took Wu Chen around the entire company. Ostensibly, she was helping him get familiar with the place. In reality, she was telling everyone that Wu Chen was her boyfriend.

Li Ruobing kept her arm linked with his. She no longer seemed like the aloof, domineering CEO; at Wu Chen's side, she smiled far more often.

At Villa No. 5 in the Qinghe Courtyard villa complex, South District, Mu Qianqian shouted into her phone by the window, "You little brat! You finally decided to answer my call? You even dared to turn your phone off! Talk about ditching your friends for a guy. And after everything I've done for you!" She was furious. She had been unable to reach her best friend all morning. She knew her friend's boyfriend had come back and the two were probably up to no good, but arranging for someone to mess with her and then switching off her phone the next day was too much!

"Qianqian, let me explain! I didn't turn it off on purpose. The battery died, and I forgot to charge it yesterday. Then I slept until noon. How was I supposed to know?"

"Cut the crap. Get over to my house. I have something to ask you."

Mu Qianqian hung up.

A little over twenty minutes later, Mu Qianqian's best friend arrived downstairs. The housekeeper knew her and opened the door, letting her go straight upstairs.

Mu Qianqian heard the knock from inside her room and said sharply, "It's open." A girl stood in the doorway. Her looks were ordinary, but she had lovely skin. She was decked out in jewelry and luxury brands.

She was Mu Qianqian's best friend, Wan Li, and she was also eighteen.

Her father, Wan Jianmin, owned Donghai Wanmin Biochemical Group.

An heiress's best friend was hardly going to be an ordinary girl. People had to move in the same circle to grow close.

The Mu and Wan families had been friends for generations. Mu Biomedical Group and Wanshi Biochemical Group were business partners as well.

Mu Qianqian and Wan Li had known each other since childhood. They had grown up together and attended the same elementary, middle, and high schools. They were extremely close.

"Qianqian, don't give me that sour face. Are you really mad?"

"Hmph. You ditched me for a guy!"

"Oh, come on. I left him to keep you company, didn't I?"

"What's so urgent, anyway?"

"I want to ask you something."

Mu Qianqian looked dead serious.

"Did you arrange for someone to approach me yesterday and put on an act? Was it you?"

"What person?"

"Don't play dumb! I'm not fooling around!"

"What person?"

"That Wu Chen. Didn't you send him?"

"Who's Wu Chen?"

"What did I supposedly arrange?"

Mu Qianqian knew her best friend. Wan Li liked to joke around, but with Qianqian asking this seriously, she would never refuse to admit it if she had done it.

So Mu Qianqian briefly told her what had happened yesterday, leaving certain things out. She focused on Wu Chen's claim that he had relived the same day over and over, and on how he had accurately predicted when Wan Li would call.

She gave only a brief account of the trouble afterward, saying that Wu Chen had frightened the group off with a phone call.

"Qianqian, you believed a con artist like that?"

Wan Li stared at her in disbelief. She could not believe her best friend had been so foolish.

"And you stole someone's car with him? Are you sure you didn't arrange this?" Mu Qianqian asked.

"Of course I didn't. Do I look that bored?" Wan Li said.

She tossed her handbag onto a cabinet and sat down.

Then she frowned. A box of medicine sat on the table.

She picked it up for a closer look. It appeared newly bought, but it had been opened, so a pill had probably already been taken. The box said Jin Yuting.

Wan Li had always been wilder than Mu Qianqian. She had had her first boyfriend at sixteen and changed boyfriends more often than clothes over the past two years. She had taken the medicine herself, so she knew it was emergency contraception. "Give me that!"

The instant Wan Li saw it, Mu Qianqian snatched it back, looking nervous.

Wan Li turned to stare at her friend, eyes wide. She shot to her feet. "You slept with that con artist?"

"Y-yes." Mu Qianqian stammered. She knew that although her best friend liked to have fun, Wan Li was different from her. Wan Li's father kept a tight rein on her, so she had never had a boyfriend and said she would wait until college.

Wan Li did not care about sex itself. If her friend had slept with a boyfriend, that would have been fine.

But from what Mu Qianqian had just said, Wan Li thought her friend had been tricked by a con artist—and had fallen for him completely.

"You... you idiot! Are you stupid?"

Wan Li was furious at her friend's lack of judgment.

Mu Qianqian herself seemed unfazed, but Wan Li was fuming.

"What's his number?"

"Call him and get him over here."

Mu Qianqian blinked and said nothing.

Wan Li was stunned. "Don't tell me you don't even have his number?"

"I forgot to ask," Mu Qianqian said quietly.

Wan Li pressed a hand to her forehead. She had a headache.

Wu Chen spent the afternoon at Huancai Fashion Company. His position was nominal and he did not actually need to work, but he had to keep up appearances on his first day. He familiarized himself with the place, met people, and even attended a company meeting.

A little after five, he and Li Ruobing left the company together.

This time, they did not take Li Ruobing's Mercedes-Maybach.

Li Ruobing had plenty of cars. She switched to a Bentley Continental and drove herself.

Wu Chen sat in the passenger seat. She brought only a few bodyguards, who followed in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

Even a female CEO needed a life of her own.

"Where shall we eat?" Li Ruobing asked as she fastened her seat belt and turned to Wu Chen.

"Well..." Wu Chen gave it some thought, then asked, "Would you mind if more people knew about me?"

"The more, the better," Li Ruobing said.

"Lao Pinxuan, then," Wu Chen said. Lao Pinxuan was the finest Cantonese restaurant in East Sea, bar none. It was an upscale Chinese restaurant where reservations usually had to be made in advance, and even then a table was often impossible to get.

Wu Chen chose Lao Pinxuan partly because Li Ruobing was a regular and a top-tier member. She often entertained important clients there.

His other reason was that only the wealthy could afford it. Businesspeople were particularly fond of the place, so they were likely to run into acquaintances there—some of East Sea's richest merchants.

They drove to the restaurant. Private dining rooms were available, but they chose a window table on the first floor instead.

It was not because the private rooms were too large. Li Ruobing wanted more people to learn of Wu Chen's existence and accept that he really was her boyfriend.

Since they wanted to be seen, they sat where others could spot them, ordered, and waited for their food. Sure enough, someone soon came over to greet them.

"Well, Boss Li! What a coincidence. You're dining here today too?" The first person to approach was a thin, bespectacled man nearing fifty.

"Mr. Han! What a coincidence!" Li Ruobing looked surprised.

Han Deli was forty-seven, the CEO and a major shareholder of Longcheng Innovation Group. He was in the electronic components business, had married twice, and had a son and a daughter.

Longcheng Innovation Group was doing very well at present. Business was booming.

The moment Wu Chen saw Han Deli, he silently ran through the man's information. He needed no introduction.

In fact, Han Deli and Li Ruobing had no business dealings. Cosmetics and electronic components had little to do with each other.

But wealthy people did not need to do business together to know each other. They had plenty of chances to meet: business receptions, an influential person's birthday banquet, or through mutual friends.

The wealthy liked making connections and tended to take the initiative. Everyone understood that another friend opened another door, while another enemy put up another wall.

Although Li Ruobing did not much enjoy socializing in private, she made sure to know the people she needed to know.

When it came to meeting people, Li Ruobing had an enormous natural advantage.

She was exceptionally young among billionaires, strikingly beautiful, and backed by a powerful family. That made her stand out almost anywhere, and major businessmen often approached her first to make her acquaintance.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Li Ruobing, Han Deli naturally noticed the young man dining with her.

"Is this your younger brother?" Han Deli asked with a smile.

Han Deli knew about Li Ruotai, of course. Few people in East Sea had never heard of Young Master Li. But the Li Family was large, with many members in its third generation.

He had not specified a biological brother; Wu Chen could have been a cousin. Wu Chen looked so young that Han Deli had not considered him a business associate.

"No. This is my boyfriend, Wu Chen," Li Ruobing said.

She turned to Wu Chen and gestured toward the man.

"Dear, this is Mr. Han of Longcheng Innovation Group."

Wu Chen rose. Before he could offer his hand, Han Deli extended his.

They shook hands and exchanged greetings.

Han Deli looked surprised, but inside he was stunned. He knew Li Ruobing had reached twenty-seven without ever dating, as if she simply had no interest in men.

Her fake-boyfriend routine had become a running joke in the East Sea Business Circle. Everyone said she found men to act as shields against the marriage her family had arranged.

Why did everyone know they were fake?

Because Li Ruobing never took those boyfriends on dates to restaurants. She only brought them to particular events. They were props.

At business banquets, if Li Ruobing did not introduce the man beside her as her boyfriend, people assumed he was a subordinate or lackey. There was never any intimacy. Her previous fake boyfriends did not dare speak unless she did. They acted meek and cautious around her, serving her tea and water. That was how everyone knew they were fake.

Everyone knew the earlier ones were fake. But this time, Li Ruobing had just called Wu Chen "dear." She also seemed to be in an excellent mood. Her strong, domineering nature usually left little room for smiles, yet now she wore one naturally. This time had to be real. "Mr. Wu! A pleasure, a pleasure! Hahaha! You're a fine-looking young man. You and Boss Li make a wonderful match!"

"Boss Li has excellent taste!"

Han Deli was quick on the uptake. Laughing heartily, he complimented both Wu Chen and Li Ruobing.

"Thank you, Mr. Han. That's very kind of you," Wu Chen said with a smile, exchanging a glance with Li Ruobing.

"Hahaha!" Han Deli laughed again. "May I ask what you do, Mr. Wu?"

"I just graduated from college. I'm helping out at Ruobing's company," Wu Chen said.

On the surface, the answer sounded unimpressive. He was a recent graduate with no career of his own, working at his girlfriend's company. Something about that seemed off.

But who was Li Ruobing?

Could her boyfriend possibly be an ordinary man?

So when Wu Chen calmly said he had only just graduated, Han Deli's first thought was, Which powerful family's young master is he?

Li Ruobing would never choose an ordinary man. Given her personality, talent, education, and background, an ordinary man could not possibly catch her eye.

"Boss, the guests have all arrived." Han Deli's assistant came up behind him and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Ah, hahaha! Sorry to interrupt your date," Han Deli said, immediately changing tack. "Boss Li, I wish you a booming business. My clients are here, so I must go see to them."

"You too. May business flourish," Li Ruobing said.

Han Deli hurried away. Even after he had gone some distance, he looked back at Wu Chen before heading upstairs.

He was still trying to guess which family's young master Wu Chen was.

"Han Deli isn't bad. He likes making friends and is also an officer of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce."

Once he had gone upstairs, Li Ruobing looked at Wu Chen and gave him a brief account of Han Deli.

They had come today specifically to introduce Wu Chen to people. If they were a real couple, Li Ruobing would naturally tell her boyfriend about someone who had just come over to greet them. So she did, wanting Wu Chen to know who Han Deli was.

Wu Chen smiled, shifted his water glass, and straightened the bowls and chopsticks on the table.

Only when Li Ruobing had finished did he look up. "I know him better than you do."

Li Ruobing's expression froze for a moment. Then she smiled as if it did not matter. "Right. You're an information broker."

Eight or nine minutes later, a second person came over. "Boss Li, long time no see."

He was a tall, thin man of about forty, accompanied by a beautiful woman who was not his wife.

Wang Gu was the general manager and second-largest shareholder of Zhenguang Industrial Group. The largest shareholder and chairman was his father, and Wang Gu had already been confirmed as the future head of the family business. He had one son.

He was divorced and had many lovers. At present, he was maintaining relationships with three of them.

"Mr. Wu! Oh, hello, hello." It was almost the same routine. When Wang Gu learned that Wu Chen was Li Ruobing's boyfriend, she could barely hide her shock.

Two more East Sea business tycoons came over to say hello: Zhou Ru, the owner of Crimson Shop, and Qian Fugui, the owner of Green Forest Real Estate.

Their reactions were exactly like those of the first two.

Not everyone who ate at Lao Pinxuan was a business owner. But anyone without sufficient standing would not know Li Ruobing. Even if they knew who she was, they would not dare come over to greet her. They had no connection to her, so none of them came over to make small talk.

Once the simple dishes had all arrived, the two ate and talked quietly.

Li Ruobing rarely appeared in public outside of work. Unless she had to, she kept a low profile. Many people knew this about her, so they were surprised to see her here and came over to talk.

They could only meet so many people over a meal, but news traveled. In a few days, many people in the East Sea Business Circle would probably hear that the eldest daughter of the Li family, Li Ruobing, the owner of Illusion Stone, really was in a relationship.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Li!"

"What a coincidence." Someone else had come over to greet her.

It was a woman. Her tone was far from polite; it had a mocking edge.