Inside the car, Siyuan drove with practiced ease, a delighted smile on her face. Waves of suppressed gasps drifted from the back seat; moments ago, they had been occasionally punctuated by indistinct whispers, but now only the heavy breathing remained.

In her mind, she pictured the scene behind the dividing curtain. Wang Zhidao’s official girlfriend right now must surely be disheveled, those "magnificent mounds" certainly exposed. Her bra might have been tossed aside, or perhaps it was pulled up, dangling around her neck.

Wang Zhidao really has a way with women, she mused inwardly, admiringly.

About half an hour earlier, she had deliberately played a prank, lowering the electric blind in the car. Just as she predicted, Wang Zhidao immediately took action, and Gan Lin, who usually presented as quiet and demure, offered no resistance and was immediately overpowered by him.

Soon after, it was time for Wang Zhidao’s enjoyment. Siyuan was intensely curious to observe, but partly because Wang Zhuo had mentioned that Gan Lin was even more sensitive about her modesty than Qi Fei, and partly because the car was currently in motion—raising the curtain suddenly might expose the scene to other passing vehicles.

Siyuan had no way of knowing Gan Lin’s technique, but one thing she was certain of: Wang Zhidao admitted that her technique was the best, bar none.

Later, the car vibrated for a period, and Siyuan heard Gan Lin uttering sounds of protest and pleading. Siyuan merely smiled then; sure enough, not long after, the sounds from the back seat resumed their familiar rhythm.

She couldn't fathom Gan Lin’s conflicted feelings. What was there to be shy about in such matters? Everyone knew about her relationship with Wang Zhuo. Everyone knew what they had done before. Why the embarrassment, why the pretense?

“Perhaps it’s to create a certain thrill, to give the man a sense of conquest?” she murmured to herself, deciding this was a concept she couldn't yet grasp.

...

In the back seat, Gan Lin simply could not bear the stimulation of performing so intimately, separated only by a thin curtain but so close to the other girls. It gave her an overwhelming sensation of being spied upon; while intensely arousing, it was also deeply mortifying, something she found almost unbearable.

Moreover, the streetlights outside were bright, and pedestrians or vehicles often passed by. Even though she knew they couldn’t see inside, it put tremendous pressure on her.

Out of desperation, she shifted off one side of the seat beneath her, clearing a space, and crouched down, allowing Wang Zhuo to sit astride her, his legs wrapping around her shoulders.

This way, she couldn't see the scenery outside; it was, in essence, an ostrich maneuver. Furthermore, the car stopped vibrating, which made her feel slightly better about maintaining appearances.

But were appearances truly better maintained? She didn't know herself. At least one thing was certain: for a considerable time from now on, she wouldn't have the face to look Siyuan in the eye.

The car circled the loop road again and again. When Gan Lin saw a certain mall appear outside the window for a second time, she realized something: Siyuan was deliberately driving in circles.

She immediately pulled out of his mouth, her eyes wide, and whispered to Wang Zhuo, "Is she driving in circles?"

Wang Zhuo laughed, brighter than the neon lights outside, and nodded repeatedly.

Gan Lin instantly felt a mix of annoyance and amusement. She realized the little wisp Siyuan had totally duped her. She had never expected that this girl, who looked so quiet and sweet—calling her "Sister Gan Lin" more sweetly than anyone, acting like a porcelain doll—could be such a silent, subtle trickster.

"I’m done, you two conspired to mess with me," she huffed and made to stand up.

Wang Zhuo hastily leaned forward and pressed her down, chuckling darkly, "Where is such a good deal? You were the one who said you’d use your mouth to sort me out; we can’t go back on our word."

Gan Lin glared at him crossly. She had indeed said that earlier, but it was to avoid crying out during their intimacy and giving Siyuan a certain impression. But now that she knew Siyuan was a little imp, why should she care about that?

Just as she was about to rise again, Wang Zhuo pinned her down once more. She opened her mouth to argue, but Wang Zhuo seized the moment, pushing back into her mouth. She couldn't shake him off or escape; all she could do was emit muffled sounds of protest before obediently resuming the unfinished task.

Outside the window, the bright lights illuminated the pleasing scenery; inside the car, a beautiful jade-like woman bowed down beneath him, her touch warm, smooth, soft, and exquisite. Pleasure surged like the rising tide, wave after wave.

His fingertips lightly traced the curve of her flawless jade cheek, paused on her fluttering eyelashes, gently tweaked her soft earlobe, and tapped the tip of her pert nose...

Wang Zhuo's heart filled with tenderness and warmth. This was his first woman. For her, he had once been willing to give up everything, even stake his life, to save her, and all that sacrifice had been worth it.

Gan Lin’s technique was passable. She wouldn't cater obsequiously like Siyuan, nor would she dote and accommodate like Qi Fei. In this area, she was reactive. Under Wang Zhuo’s discipline, she progressed from revulsion to acceptance, changing slowly for the sake of love.

It was rumored that many men pursued her at school, including numerous outstanding figures—some with high political connections, some with high academic achievements, and some with high financial means.

Wang Zhuo believed these rumors were true. Given Gan Lin’s looks, being the department beauty was undisputed; coupled with her figure, she was the cream of the campus queens. Moreover, her grades were strong, her family background was middle-class, and her temperament was considerate and gentle. Who wouldn't like someone like that, except for the self-doubting man lacking the confidence to marry a beautiful wife?

Wang Zhuo knew that countless people cursed him behind his back. As the pig that gorges on fine cabbage, the ox manure fertilizing the fresh flower, he was aware of his position. Just having Gan Lin as his legitimate girlfriend brought him endless curses. If all his secret affairs were exposed, how many small voodoo figures bearing his name, pierced with pins, would appear in the world?

A thought striking him, he lifted Gan Lin’s chin and asked with a smile, "I heard there’s a Pig Head Ranking at your school?"

Gan Lin, interrupted mid-performance of a newly mastered flourish, pulled away to answer casually, "You’re ranked first."

Having answered, she immediately returned to her previous lesson.

"I'm ranked first?" Wang Zhuo laughed dryly and muttered, "Then you must be the number one campus queen, right?"

The so-called Pig Head Ranking originated from the idiom, "The fine cabbage is rooted up by the pig." In Gan Lin’s school, enterprising students compiled a list of the campus beauties and then separately listed those dating men from outside the school, finally compiling the men into this ranking.

Wang Zhuo mistakenly thought the more beautiful the girl he courted, the higher his ranking. In reality, the reason for being listed depended not only on the popularity of the girl but also on an evaluation of the man. The second-place holder was the heir to a listed company’s CEO, so how could the current boss of that listed company not be ranked first?

Gan Lin remained noncommittal about Wang Zhuo’s question. The campus queen ranking was subjective; some preferred voluptuous, others liked slender; some favored heavy makeup, others preferred natural. Even the ranking of the 'pig heads' was controversial; many felt Wang Zhuo shouldn't be number one, and that position should go to the boyfriend of another beauty with high official connections.

For settling down, everyone understood that marrying a woman like Gan Lin was best. But if one’s goal was a career in politics, who didn't know that marrying a vice-governor's daughter could save twenty years of struggle, or even a lifetime?

"How did I become the number one big pig head?" Wang Zhuo scratched his head with a wry smile, suddenly feeling a sharp pain—Gan Lin had lightly bitten him as a gentle reprimand for his distraction.

...

When they dropped Gan Lin off home, it was already half past nine. She hurried out of the car and left quickly, not even saying goodbye to Siyuan.

"She's not mad at me, is she?" Siyuan teased, sticking her tongue out playfully at Wang Zhuo, who had moved back to the passenger seat.

Wang Zhuo chuckled, "She’s just embarrassed, doesn't have the face to see you."

"How was it? Satisfying?" Siyuan jokingly took credit.

"You’re slyer than a fox," Wang Zhuo pointed at her, grinning.

Siyuan started the car and lowered the central privacy screen. Her small nose twitched slightly as she laughed, "I can't smell a thing. Did you finish it?"

Wang Zhuo certainly knew what she meant by 'smell.' He laughed exasperatedly, "Go eat your own head. She has to watch TV with her mom when she gets home. What if she comes in smelling?"

"Chew gum then," Siyuan blurted out, then paused as if realizing the implication, "So you spit it into a tissue?"

"Nonsense," Wang Zhuo shook his head helplessly. "Just drive, Siyuan. I didn't eat it, and I didn't spit it out. I saved it."

Hearing this, Siyuan immediately giggled like a little fox, and Wang Zhuo couldn't help but chuckle too. Since it was saved, who it was being saved for was obvious, and where the car should head next was also implicitly understood...

On Christmas Day, Wang Zhuo and Li Guangyi reached a preliminary agreement for cooperation, and an industrial upheaval was brewing, ready to erupt.

With Guo Jiandeng's assistance, the promotion plan was finalized. Most participants in this project were old friends of Wang Zhuo: Ding Ren, Cai Yuantu, Guo Jiandeng, and one new associate—Ning Yao.

Cai Yuantu had invested in a small pharmaceutical factory; Ding Ren had established a large-sounding but small beverage factory with only a dozen workers, mainly producing soda; Guo Jiandeng had partnered with two large and medium-sized pharmaceutical plants; and Ning Yao participated as an individual, her fame being the best talking point in itself.

In addition to these, Li Guangyi’s side had brought in several industry friends. Gathered together, these individuals formed a certain scale of "performance."

At this point, everyone understood the mechanism: this scheme resembled the sham bidding process used in government procurement. Aside from Guangyi Pharmaceuticals, all others were merely following along to create a stir—plainly put, they were padding the numbers and building momentum.

Meanwhile, the third and fourth largest shareholders of Shengshi Wangchao, Miss Qi Fei and Miss Guan Yingying, had already filed a lawsuit with the court, accusing Mr. Wang Zhuo, the Chairman of the Group Company and Director of the Pharmaceutical Research Department, of committing commercial fraud by selling off the group's research and development achievements privately at low prices without the permission of the shareholders' meeting.