Serving the People, Shen Family Manor

"Jiang Cheng, you don't want this recording to reach Aunt, do you?"

Jiang Ruoxue waved her phone, brimming with confidence.

Look at this—since when could a heroine say something like that?

With that tone, anyone would think she was the villain!

Jiang Cheng's mouth twitched, a herd of ten thousand alpacas stampeding through his mind.

He'd let his guard down this time—no dodge! That girl Jiang Ruoxue had actually caught him off guard.

Don't let his calm facade fool you; Jiang Cheng was panicking inside. If Mother Jiang ever found out, right or wrong, it'd all be his fault.

Not to mention their families were old friends. Mother Jiang treated Jiang Ruoxue like her own daughter. If Jiang Ruoxue used this chance to make some outrageous demand, wouldn't that be the end of him?

Just imagining that scene made Jiang Cheng's skin crawl. He looked at Jiang Ruoxue like she was a demon.

"What... do you want?"

Swallowing a few times, Jiang Cheng stammered out the words.

Jiang Ruoxue didn't answer. She looked him up and down with a faint, knowing smile, then licked her red lips.

Jiang Cheng shrank back into the corner like a helpless little lamb, while Jiang Ruoxue was the big bad wolf.

That feeling stirred a sense of shame in him. Here he was, a villain, reduced to this—an utter disgrace!

"Jiang Ruoxue, I... I'm warning you. You're a police officer, serving the people—you can't do anything illegal!"

Jiang Ruoxue nodded in agreement. A people's police officer serves the people, but wasn't he one of the people too?

So, wanting to serve him properly shouldn't be a problem, right?

"Relax, I just need you to do me a small favor."

"Small favor?" Jiang Cheng stared at her suspiciously, disbelief written all over his face. "You're not planning to harvest my kidneys, are you?!"

Jiang Ruoxue rolled her eyes at him. What was he thinking?

Even if she didn't care about him, she had to think about her own future happiness. Doing that would only make things worse for herself.

"I want you to be my boyfriend!"

"Pfft—" Jiang Cheng spat out the water he'd just drunk, his cup shattering on the floor like his heart at that moment.

Hey! Jiang Ruoxue, are you crazy?

The male lead is your destined one! Just because I didn't follow the script, why are all the heroines going this off the rails?

"No way!"

Once he snapped out of it, Jiang Cheng refused flat out.

Be your boyfriend? That's like looking for trouble with a lantern in a latrine—I haven't lived enough yet!

"I mean, pretend to be my boyfriend." Jiang Ruoxue's heart ached, but she forced a smile. "My mom's been nagging me to find a boyfriend lately, so..."

Ah, a shield!

Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. There was indeed a scene like this in the plot, where the protagonist Ye Bufan pretended to be Jiang Ruoxue's boyfriend.

Probably because he hadn't followed the script, the story had veered off just a little.

But no big deal!

Once the protagonist started showing his charm, Jiang Cheng believed the heroines would flock back to him willingly.

Then he'd be out of the picture. He just needed to disappear for a few years, wait for everything to settle, and it'd all be fine.

Jiang Cheng nodded and agreed to Jiang Ruoxue.

Not long after, Mother Jiang came back from grocery shopping and was overjoyed at the news.

For the entire afternoon, Mother Jiang dragged Jiang Cheng into discussing wedding details without a break.

Calling it a discussion was generous—it was more like Mother Jiang's solo performance, and Jiang Cheng just had to nod along.

"Aunt, isn't it a bit early to talk about all this?"

Jiang Cheng's head was spinning.

"Xiao Cheng, it's best to prepare for marriage early, don't you think?" Lin Yu said with a smile.

Aunt, you've already said it all—what else can I say?

"Makes sense!"

Jiang Cheng first agreed with Mother Jiang, then glanced at his watch. "Aunt, it's getting late. I'll head out now."

He stood up, said his goodbyes, and bolted in one smooth motion.

"That kid, we still have so many details to go over."

Lin Yu shook her head helplessly, then looked at Jiang Ruoxue dozing on the sofa. "Still sleeping? Xiao Cheng's already gone!"

"Jiang Cheng, don't go."

Jiang Ruoxue's eyes snapped open. She looked around blankly, meeting Mother Jiang's gaze.

"Ruoxue's awake? Come, let's continue..."

Meanwhile, amid the shattered hearts of countless lovestruck boys, Jiang Cheng and Li Shiyao sped off toward the Shen Family Manor.

"Senior, why do you look so exhausted?"

No shit!

An entire afternoon, nerves stretched to the breaking point—do you have any idea how I got through that?

Jiang Cheng was mentally drained and couldn't be bothered to reply to Li Shiyao.

But this girl's mouth was like a machine gun, rattling off nonstop until Jiang Cheng finally cracked.

"Say one more word, and you're walking the rest of the way."

Li Shiyao pouted, lowering her head, and muttered, "Senior, I was just going to say... driving while tired is against traffic laws."

Jiang Cheng: "??"

An old lady crawling under the covers—you've got me laughing my ass off!

"Then you drive?!"

A moment later, Jiang Cheng sat in the passenger seat with a complicated expression, watching Li Shiyao shift gears and accelerate with practiced ease, falling silent.

Wait, you actually know how to do this! That just makes me look like an idiot.

"Senior, how is it? Am I awesome at driving?"

Li Shiyao puffed out her chest, clearly begging for praise.

The corners of Jiang Cheng's mouth twitched wildly before he finally forced out one word, "Awesome!"

With Jiang Cheng's compliment, Li Shiyao seemed even more excited. She stomped on the gas, and the speed shot past a hundred.

"Do you have your driver's license?"

Li Shiyao shook her head. Jiang Cheng frowned. "What if we run into a traffic cop?"

"Senior, it's not that I don't have it."

Don't tell me it's that she doesn't have one at all?

Jiang Cheng: "..."

Open the door—I need to get out!

Watching the speedometer climb straight to a hundred and twenty, Jiang Cheng's face went pale. Damn it, no license and you're driving this fast.

Are you trying to boost the King of Hell's performance metrics or what?!

"I just didn't bring it today!"

Li Shiyao stuck out her tongue playfully. "Hehe~ Scared you, didn't I, Senior?"

Can you not talk in breathless bursts? It's terrifying.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Jiang Cheng forced calm. "Boring. Not at all."

The whole ride was pure speed and adrenaline, but thankfully they made it to the destination without incident.

Shen Family Manor.

By now, guests had already gathered in droves. Everyone invited was a notable figure in Jiangcheng.

The moment Jiang Cheng appeared, a stir rippled through the crowd.

The sole heir of the Jiang Family—that identity alone was enough for people to flock and curry favor. Quite a few young ladies from prominent families were practically shooting sparks with their eyes as they stared at Jiang Cheng.

Li Shiyao wrinkled her delicate nose, clutching Jiang Cheng's arm like a possessive kitten guarding its food.

As if to say, Back off—Senior is mine!

"What are you doing?"

Jiang Cheng felt the soft warmth against his arm and tried to pull free, but couldn't.

Li Shiyao refused to let go, looking up at him with tearful eyes. "Senior, I'm afraid I'll get lost."

Can you come up with a less ridiculous excuse?

Jiang Cheng had no choice. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he could only let Li Shiyao do as she pleased.

"Isn't that Campus Belle Li? She's actually with Young Master Jiang."

"Could it be that Young Master Jiang has given up pursuing CEO Mu?"

A buzz of discussion spread among the wealthy young heirs. Jiang Cheng ignored them, choosing a corner to sit down.

Just then, a black business sedan slowly pulled up.

A tall woman with a cold, aloof demeanor opened the door and stepped out. Behind her followed a plainly dressed young man.

At almost the same moment, two voices rang out in unison, "It's him?"