He's my boyfriend!

When Jiang Ze noticed the suitcase beside her, he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the woman continued a second later.

"I only arrived in B City a few days ago, so I might need to stay at Zhiyuan's place for a few days..."

As she spoke, she looked Jiang Ze up and down with a distinctly hostile gaze.

"And you are...?"

Jiang Ze frowned under her scrutiny, plopped onto the sofa, and crossed his legs, speaking with haughty defiance.

"Who I am is none of your business. Uncle Zhiyuan won't let you stay here. What, are you so broke you can't even afford a hotel?"

The woman apparently hadn't expected him to be so rude right off the bat. She choked on her words.

"I'm Zhiyuan's fiancée. I have every right to stay here. Where did you come from, and what gives you the right to speak to me like that?"

"Miss Han, this is the young master's honored guest. If he comes home and sees you behaving like this, he'll be even less pleased."

Elder Feng spoke up at just the right moment, a hint of warning in his tone.

Han Ke stamped her foot in anger. Realizing the two were on the same side, she stopped trading barbs. In any case, she had a reason Meng Zhiyuan would have to let her stay. All she needed to do was wait for him to return.

Jiang Ze sat diagonally across from her, a faint tension simmering in the air.

Miss Han? Her surname's Han... System, hurry up and check whether I've missed some plot point. I don't remember the big shot actually having a fiancée in the novel.

"Host, this woman's name is Han Ke, and being the villain's fiancée isn't her only identity~"

Jiang Ze was startled. The name Han Ke did sound a little familiar.

Holy crap, don't tell me she's that corporate spy?

"Yep! This woman was sent by Meng Zimu's side~ Actually, to be precise, this was the work of the villain's older brother, Meng Zhixiong~"

At that, Jiang Ze remembered the plot. Han Ke had come to Meng Zhiyuan's side under the guise of being his fiancée.

Her actual goal had been to steal important confidential documents from the Meng Group and gather information. But the big shot wasn't so easily fooled; he'd been wary of her from the start.

In the end, she hadn't gotten anything useful, and she'd fallen for Meng Zhiyuan during that time.

Unsurprisingly, her identity had eventually been exposed, her love had gone unrequited, and she'd alienated both sides, meeting a truly miserable end.

She was a major cannon-fodder character who had it even worse than the original Jiang Ze.

No wonder I barely remembered her. Her storyline was over practically as soon as she appeared...

Jiang Ze gave the woman, who still wore an arrogant expression, a sympathetic look and couldn't help shaking his head.

Meng Zhixiong had played his cards well. Whether the plan succeeded or not, he'd still managed to disgust Meng Zhiyuan.

Still, if he was going to put on an act, he might as well commit. Since this woman wanted to seduce the big shot, he had to give her a taste of her own medicine first.

He cleared his throat and called Meng Zhiyuan straight away.

"Hello. What's wrong?"

The man's voice on the other end was as cold and deep as ever.

Jiang Ze pursed his lips and immediately put on an aggrieved expression.

"Uncle Zhiyuan... There's a woman here claiming to be your fiancée, and she insists on staying here... Sob... She even said I had no right to speak to her, and she refuses to leave until you come back. I think... I'd better go and make room for this young lady..."

Jiang Ze spoke quite loudly, deliberately making sure Han Ke could hear him. He even put the call on speaker.

"What fiancée?"

The man's voice sounded faintly angry. "Say that again. Where exactly are you planning to go?"

Out of the man's sight, Jiang Ze's aggrieved expression froze.

I'm just acting here... The big shot isn't actually angry, is he...?

He glanced at the woman beside him. Although she hadn't turned her head, she was clearly listening intently, and her expression had noticeably darkened.

"Wait for me."

Before Jiang Ze could explain, the man had hung up.

Uh-oh. Something sounded off about his tone.

But to keep up the act, he continued sitting calmly on the sofa, his expression relaxed, as though he had everything under control.

"Just what are you to Zhiyuan?"

Han Ke was bewildered. No one had told her Meng Zhiyuan was gay. If she wasn't even the right gender for his preferences, how was she supposed to get close to him?

Judging by that phone call, Meng Zhiyuan clearly cared a great deal about the handsome young man before her.

Jiang Ze curled his lips, looking rather smug in the knowledge that he was doted on. He lifted his chin. "What am I to him? Obviously, I'm..."

He searched his mind for a few terms, but none seemed intimidating enough. After a brief pause, he finally spoke.

"Obviously, I'm Meng Zhiyuan's boyfriend!"

Han Ke's eyes widened in disbelief. Meng Zhiyuan was the Meng family's infamous cold-faced devil, who let neither men nor women near him. Since when had he gotten himself a young boyfriend?

"Oh? My boyfriend..."

Panic flashed through Jiang Ze. Sure enough, when he turned, he saw that familiar tall figure standing in the doorway.

Not daring to look at the man's expression, he quickly got up and scampered over before his act could fall apart.

He threw himself into the man's arms.

He didn't forget to keep whining pitifully.

"Sob, sob, Uncle Zhiyuan, you're finally here! You have no idea-she bullied me! She even said I seduced her fiancé..."

Behind him, Han Ke trembled with anger. When had she ever said that? She'd been the one getting bullied this entire time!

I'll beat her to the punch and play the victim! Ugh, no, I'm not the bad guy here...

Jiang Ze looked up into the man's deep gaze, rose onto his toes, and whispered into his ear.

"Uncle Zhiyuan... I'm acting, just acting. Help me out, please..."

From Han Ke's angle, however, it looked as though the two had started kissing right in front of her as if she weren't even there. It was unbearable to watch.

"You two..."

Han Ke gathered herself and looked at Meng Zhiyuan, making her voice as gentle as possible.

"Zhiyuan, do you still remember me? It's me, Ke..."

"No."

The instant Han Ke finished her last word, the man's cold voice rang out, sparing her no dignity whatsoever.

Her face paled, and then she heard a snort of laughter.

"That's hilarious. Didn't you say you were Uncle Zhiyuan's fiancée? This is the first time I've ever seen a fiancé who doesn't recognize his fiancée..."

The young man held the man's arm, his delicate face tilted slightly upward, his words filled with undisguised arrogance.

The man beside him played along perfectly. None of the coldness he'd shown Han Ke remained as he gazed fondly at the young man.

Han Ke stared at Jiang Ze, her fingers trembling with anger. But remembering her mission, she looked at the tall, handsome man and swallowed her fury.

"Zhiyuan, surely you haven't forgotten that we were betrothed as children? Uncle Meng arranged it with my father back then."

As she spoke, she took out something she had prepared in advance.

Jiang Ze took a closer look. Good grief, she even had evidence.

The woman held a sheet of letter paper from who knew how many years ago. It briefly mentioned something about a betrothal between the two families, though the wording was vague.

Jiang Ze saw the man frown slightly and cast an indifferent glance at the woman before patting his head soothingly.

"You can stay for a few days. I'll speak to my father myself. But that old debt of gratitude was a matter between their generation. Whatever decisions they made back then have no bearing on the present."

Han Ke initially frowned, but her brows gradually relaxed, and a smile appeared on her face. As long as she could stay here, surely she'd find a way to get close to him.

She shot Jiang Ze a provocative glance, her tone returning to its original gentleness.

"All right. I'll be in your care, then, Zhiyuan."

Jiang Ze, still in the man's arms, puffed up angrily and tried to leave. But the moment he moved, his world spun. The man had lifted him straight off the floor.

And in a bridal carry, at that.

"Don't move."

Jiang Ze nestled in the man's arms, his face growing warm. After all, Elder Feng and that woman were here too.

Realizing that the man might still be playing along with him, Jiang Ze composed his expression, tightened his arms around the man's neck, and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

He didn't forget to return an even more provocative look to Han Ke.

One word: satisfying. No wonder everyone loves a good wish-fulfillment novel.

Except he seemed to have forgotten why the man had come back-and the dangerous look the man was giving him.