Ning Shixuan knocked early in the morning, Yun Yao still clinging to me in her arms. I said, "Ignore her, she probably hasn't recovered from last night's excitement. She knows you're in my room and still dares to disturb us."

Yun Yao nudged me, "Go open it quickly, the sun is already up. I also need to go help Master Pang cook."

I opened the door wearing only my shorts. Ning Shixuan glanced down at my lower half and said, "Shameless."

Yun Yao was already dressed. She no longer needed to hide her relationship with me in front of Ning Shixuan; on the contrary, she was quite proud. "Little Sister Ning, please have a seat. I'll go down and help Master Pang with breakfast."

Ning Shixuan said, "Indeed, now you are the mistress of this house. Go about your business. Today is a rest day; I'll ask Zhao Qian to accompany me for a walk to clear my head. Yun Yao, you won't be jealous, will you?"

Yun Yao smiled, "Suit yourselves. But Brother Zhao said he's accompanying me home to see my mother. Once breakfast is done, I'll ask Master Pang for leave."

Ning Shixuan replied, "Perfect then, visiting your family will also be relaxing. I'll go along too. You two aren't going to toss me aside right after your wedding night, are you?"

Yun Yao's face flushed crimson, and she whispered in defense, "It's not what you think."

Ning Shixuan said with a hint of triumph, "Maybe nothing was going on between you two before, but I could see it. Something definitely happened last night. Yun Yao is planning to take the groom home to meet the mother-in-law, so I can appear as the bridesmaid, right?"

Yun Yao flung the door open and fled. Ning Shixuan grabbed me and pulled me up, "Stop sleeping! Did you two go at it all night?"

I reluctantly opened my eyes, "Big Sister, I seriously suspect you just broke up with someone. Also, please don't discuss these things in front of Yun Yao; she’s very shy, unlike you who can say anything to my face."

Ning Shixuan said, "I didn't sleep a wink last night. I finally figured things out. Now I don't have to carry any emotional baggage and can live more freely and comfortably. I should actually thank Lan Feng. If he hadn't clearly indicated the breakup so early, I might still be living in a fantasy. Come on, let’s go for a walk."

"No thanks. If you've truly gotten over it, that's great. Just don't secretly think about suicide again. Go play by yourself. Yun Yao will be off work soon, and we are going to her house."

Ning Shixuan tugged my ear, "Idiot! If I don't remind you, you'll make a mistake. This is your first time visiting Yun Yao's home, isn't it?"

I nodded. Ning Shixuan continued, "So, are you planning to visit your mother-in-law empty-handed?"

"Oh, I completely forgot about that! In the past, whenever I visited their place, it was always the womenfolk who prepared everything, even my clothes were sorted out for me. Lend me a few hundred first, I need to go buy gifts." As I spoke, I quickly started dressing.

"The womenfolk? Besides Xu Jing and Zhou Ni, do you have other girlfriends?" Ning Shixuan asked.

"It’s a complicated matter in short. I'll explain it slowly if I get the chance."

"I won't lend you money, but I can help you buy gifts, on the condition that you take me with you," Ning Shixuan proposed.

I remembered I still owed Zhou Qiang over three hundred yuan. "Then I won't borrow it. Please don't disturb our private time; I’m leaving first."

Ning Shixuan blocked the door. "Hey, last night you said you wanted me to be your girlfriend too, and today you have this attitude. You're utterly despicable, you know that."

I replied, "I did propose that you become my girlfriend last night, but you didn't agree, did you? My self-esteem took a serious hit, and I was utterly disheartened about you. Luckily, Yun Yao didn't mind me and held me to comfort me..."

Ning Shixuan let out a flirtatious giggle, "And you slept with her too, didn't you?"

I chuckled wryly, "Elderly lady, you don't need to know about such things."

"Xiao Xuan! Xiao Xuan!" A man's voice suddenly called from outside the door. Ning Shixuan's expression changed, "It's Lan Feng! Why is he here?"

I was also stunned, "You ask me? Who should I ask? He's your boyfriend."

Ning Shixuan corrected me, "Be precise, my former boyfriend. After experiencing life and death together last night, I've truly shaken him off. A man like that is fickle and gives zero sense of security. I won't like him again."

"But he's shouting outside your dorm right now. Go see what he wants quickly. Don't wake up Zhang Fengzhen and Secretary Liu."

Ning Shixuan pulled open my door and stuck her head out, "Don't shout so early in the morning! I'm right here."

The neatly dressed Lan Feng soon appeared at my doorway. He looked surprised, "Huh? Isn't this Director Zhao's dorm? Xiao Xuan, why are you here?"

Ning Shixuan smiled, "Did sleeping all night make you dumb? Zhao Qian is my boyfriend. We've been living together for ages. Where else would I be if not in his room?"

Lan Feng seemed unable to believe his ears, "Xiao Xuan, I know you're just saying that to spite me. I never said I didn't love you. I just wanted us to calm down and talk about love after our careers take off. Isn't that better?"

Ning Shixuan replied, "It is, but that's all in the past now. My current boyfriend is Zhao Qian. You can curse me however you want; what's between us is over. Please return to the capital and continue your career."

Seeing Lan Feng reminded me of the greedy look in his eyes when he looked at Xu Jing, so I deliberately looped my arm through Ning Shixuan's, "Little Ning, let's go. Didn't you say you’d accompany me to buy things? I'm short on cash these days, so you can spot me first."

Ning Shixuan embraced half of my arm affectionately, "No problem. My money is your money, and your money is my money. What's the difference between us? Let’s go. We still have to go to Yun Yao’s house later."

I said to the stunned Lan Feng, "Brother Feng, could you please move aside? I need to lock the door."

Only then did Lan Feng snap out of it and step from my dorm into the hallway. He still stubbornly pleaded with Ning Shixuan, "Xiao Xuan, stop acting. I was wrong yesterday afternoon; I was momentarily confused and spouting nonsense. Can you let me explain properly? There’s really no need for us to break up..."

Ning Shixuan ignored Lan Feng and quickly pulled me downstairs. I asked quietly, "Comrade Xiao Ning, wasn't what we did a bit much? Also, has something changed? Why is he suddenly chasing you so hard?"

Ning Shixuan said, "Thinking back to what he said to me yesterday afternoon and during dinner last night makes me angry. There’s a saying: If you knew this would happen, why bother in the first place? If he truly loved me wholeheartedly, why would he hurt my feelings? Even if he had another woman, or wanted to pursue another woman, he should learn from you. Perhaps influenced by you, I might have allowed him to have multiple wives and concubines. But he insisted on playing those mind games; I can't stand it."

I laughed, "To have multiple wives and concubines, you need a certain level of capability first. Not to mention satisfying a dozen girls in one night—can he do it?"

Ning Shixuan looked at me as if I were an alien, "Can you do it?"

I said proudly, "I haven't had a chance to test this on you yet. You can ask Yun Yao later; she was ecstatic last night. At my peak, I satisfied ten girls in one night. Impressive, right?"

She pinched my waist hard: "Shameless! Rogue!"

I defended myself, "What business is it of yours if I satisfy my wife? Why are you pinching me and calling me a rogue?"

Ning Shixuan pouted charmingly, "I like it, and I want to. So what? Why don't you pinch me too?"

Ning Shixuan's captivating pout made my heart feel as if it had been struck by lightning. "I can’t bear to! You look truly beautiful right now."

Ning Shixuan glanced sideways at me, her seductive charm easily rivaling Ouyang Qian’s. "Smooth talker. You men are truly cheap. I used to chase after him desperately, but he treated me coldly and indifferently. Now that I’ve left him, he clings on and won't let go."

I interrupted, "Please don't generalize. I am not included in that group, alright?"

Ning Shixuan ignored my defense and secretly glanced behind her, "He's still following us. We need to act more intimately."

I suggested, "How about some KLSS? I guarantee it'll blow his lungs out with rage."

Ning Shixuan's face darkened, "I gave him my first kiss. Are you angry about that?"

I paused, "You're kidding, right? Why would I be angry? Do you actually like me?"

Ning Shixuan tapped my head, "Don't flatter yourself. I was just asking casually. Do you think I'm promiscuous, chasing you right after a breakup?"

The two of us left the government compound and headed straight for the Small City Department Store. Yun Yao's family was struggling financially; both I and Ning Shixuan knew that. We had to buy plenty of things for this visit. I handed all the money in my pocket to Ning Shixuan because I was terrible at shopping. It was a stroke of luck that Ning Shixuan reminded me, otherwise, I might have shown up at Yun Yao's house empty-handed and lost face.

"I can't take this anymore," Lan Feng had been trailing us the whole time. I finally couldn't help but turn back and shout at him, "Comrade Lan Feng, why are you following us? Are you planning to eavesdrop outside the door if we rent a room at a hotel?"

Lan Feng looked awkward, "You two still don't know? President Xu arranged for me to stay in Liangshan to assist the Investment Promotion Office with their business. You two are important staff members of the Investment Promotion Office, so who else should I follow?"

Ning Shixuan whispered, "Is Xu Jing angry? So she kept Lan Feng here to monitor us?"

I said, "Do you think Xu Jing is as jealous as you? She doesn't know that after surviving the pain of attempting suicide last night, you’ve already swept that guy out of your heart. She kept Lan Feng here purely to help you, you dummy!"

Ning Shixuan suddenly understood, "Oh, right. She had good intentions. Zhao Qian, you are so lucky to have met such good girls. It's a pity I have to disappoint President Xu’s kindness. If Lan Feng had chased me like this yesterday afternoon, we would have been the ones having our wedding night. But he missed his chance, and now it's all too late."

I chuckled softly, "Even if you had a wedding night, would you dare let him touch you? Don't let your sexual phobia act up and kick him down from the third floor again."

Ning Shixuan shot back, "Aren't you a doctor? You said you’d help treat me. I’ve taken your words to heart. If you don’t help me, I’ll badmouth you in front of Yun Yao and ruin your plans of having girls on both arms."

I laughed triumphantly, "Go ahead and try. Yun Yao is my precious sweetheart now. She won't get angry no matter what I say. Hahaha."

Ning Shixuan certainly didn't know what happened after I left her room last night. She stomped angrily into the Small City Department Store, "Fine, you wait. We'll see on the road later."

Despite the bickering, they ended up buying everything they needed. Lan Feng, confused about why we were buying so many daily necessities, could only follow stupidly and buy some himself. When Ning Shixuan and I returned to the dorm carrying huge bags, Yun Yao had already finished her morning shift.

"You... you bought so much stuff?" Yun Yao asked in surprise.

Ning Shixuan replied, "Didn't we say we were going to your house? Did you expect us to go empty-handed? Anyway, Zhao Qian is paying, so why not buy whatever we can."

I laughed, "Right. Although I’m paying, most of this is actually a loan to you. I'm a bit tight right now. I’ll pay you back in ten or eight years when I have money."

Ning Shixuan suddenly pulled out a bankbook from her pocket and handed it to me. "What you say doesn't matter. This is the salary card you just got set up. I picked it up from finance for you the day before yesterday but forgot to give it to you. Now, I guess there's no need to return it. From now on, your salary will be managed by me and Yun Yao. You can continue to rely on County Head Zhao to cover your meals."

"You, you, you're so 'vicious'," I groaned dramatically, collapsing onto the bed. I didn't care about a salary of one thousand yuan a month; after all, the Chairman paid me forty thousand a month.

Yun Yao giggled sweetly, and Ning Shixuan came over and pulled me up, "Hurry up and find a big bag to pack all this stuff. Later, I'll ride the bicycle with Yun Yao, and you run behind us."

The three of us looked like refugees laden with packages as we left the government compound. We saw Lan Feng waiting at the gate. Yun Yao asked confusedly, "Isn't he Sister Xiao Ning's boyfriend? What is he doing here?"

"Ex-boyfriend," Ning Shixuan corrected.

It seemed Lan Feng was ready for a protracted engagement. He didn't seem angered by Ning Shixuan's words. "Xiao Xuan, where are you three going now?"

Ning Shixuan replied curtly, "We are going down to the countryside for an inspection. Aren't you supposed to be assisting our Investment Promotion Office with its work? Do you want to come along? But I'll be upfront: life in the countryside is very harsh, and the roads are terrible. You’d be better off going back to the hotel, turning on the air conditioning, and watching TV. Following us won't benefit you."

Lan Feng said, "Since it's a countryside inspection, I must go. I have some things I need to explain to you."

Perhaps Ning Shixuan was truly disheartened with Lan Feng. She mounted her bicycle, put Yun Yao on the back, and sped off. "If you can keep up, then come along. No one is stopping you."

I carried a large bag on my back, two slung over my shoulders, and held two more in my hands. Lan Feng courteously offered, "Director Zhao, let me help you carry some of that."

I declined, "Comrade Lan Feng, the road ahead is arduous. Take care of yourself. Let's meet up at Xiamaguan. I’m leaving now."

"Hey, wait for me! How are you running faster than a bicycle!"