Fu Xinran beamed, clearly delighted. "You really should have seen his face, it’s such a shame I couldn't record it, what a pity!"

"Nonsense," Wang Zhuo laughed with mock annoyance. "If it were me, I'd be moved too. Some stunning beauty offers to keep me, paying tens of thousands a month, covering all food, lodging, and expenses—only a homosexual wouldn't be tempted!"

"Are you really that easily tempted?" Fu Xinran fixed her gaze on him and pressed further.

"You know how it is," Wang Zhuo shrugged, grinning. "I'm the type who values beauties over kingdoms. Even if I might not agree, a little bit of temptation is allowed, right?"

Fu Xinran hummed an acknowledgment, her expression unreadable, yet Wang Zhuo sharply detected a faint thread of disappointment beneath the surface.

Disappointment? Wang Zhuo savored the thought, confirming that this was indeed the emotion.

But Fu Xinran quickly recovered her composure, smiling slyly. "But right when he pressed for details, I told him I'm a fujoshi—a secret lover of boys' love—and that I’ve already kept one handsome man, and adding him would make a perfect pair!"

Wang Zhuo nearly choked, coughing twice before bursting into laughter, then escalating into a huge roar. He couldn't believe Fu Xinran had resorted to such a prankish tactic, tricking Mei Shi into thinking she liked danmei!

This time, Wang Zhuo could perfectly imagine Mei Shi’s expression. When a beautiful woman looks you dead in the eye and asks, "Handsome man, won't you help me penetrate another handsome man's **?" Mei Shi would be lucky not to be zapped into charcoal!

"You’re absolutely wicked!" He lightly slapped Fu Xinran’s shoulder, his laughter ragged. "That Mei Shi will never show his face around you again; I bet he gets goosebumps just thinking about you now."

Fu Xinran snorted proudly. "Who told him to look down on people? If he wants to woo me, he needs to bring comparable clout. A delivery driver who only knows how to flatter his boss with gifts—what future can he possibly have?"

"I support you," Wang Zhuo gave a thumbs-up. "To pursue our Xinran, a man needs to be worth at least a hundred million, stylish and commanding, preferably with a US Green Card and a private jet thrown in."

"Don't exaggerate," Fu Xinran pouted. "If I wait for men who meet all those conditions, I’ll end up with either a spoiled second-generation heir or some old geezer in his late forties or fifties. Where would I find someone like that? If I followed your advice, I'd become an over-the-hill spinster."

Wang Zhuo chuckled dryly. Better not to linger on this topic; he wouldn't want such an outstanding female assistant to marry out.

"I know what you’re thinking," Fu Xinran suddenly smiled mischievously. "Guess what Mei Shi asked me right before he fled?"

Wang Zhuo scratched his head. "That's hard to guess."

Fu Xinran didn't keep him in suspense long, her smile laced with mockery. "He asked me if the handsome man I kept was you."

"Uh..." Wang Zhuo already had a bad feeling brewing.

As expected, Fu Xinran subtly began to move her feet, giggling, "Guess what I told him?"

"No need to guess!" Wang Zhuo yanked the girl, who was trying to escape, back. "You definitely said yes, and then you told him how much I supposedly like him, right?"

Fu Xinran was a beauty of the cold, striking type. As mentioned before, her striking looks had initially made Wang Zhuo hesitant to hire her as his secretary, fearing she would distract from daily work. She possessed not only captivating looks but also a figure with fiery curves, large breasts, and long legs, capable of accelerating any man's hormone production upon sight.

She had delicate eyebrows, long eyes, a sharply angled jaw, and distinctly outlined lips, with a faint tear mole near the corner of her left eye that lent her an air of ethereal quality. It was precisely this appearance, one that drove men to distraction, that led the delivery man to boast back at the company, resulting in the appearance of the seasoned paramour, Mei Shi, today under the guise of delivering a package.

Meanwhile, Mei Shi's colleagues were eagerly awaiting news of the great Casanova's triumphant return, unaware that Mei Shi was currently brooding by the river, letting the wind whip around him. Every time a man walked past him from behind, he involuntarily recalled Fu Xinran’s bizarre smile from that moment, causing his ** to tighten involuntarily and a layer of goosebumps to rise across his entire body...

The relationship between Wang Zhuo and Fu Xinran was multifaceted: boss and employee, colleagues, and also close, confiding friends. This ease allowed them to joke with each other without much restraint, which is why Fu Xinran dared to tease Wang Zhuo by fabricating that he was the man she was keeping.

Wang Zhuo had remained rather calm; it was just a joke, easily dismissed. He truly didn't care what Mei Shi thought.

But as he yanked the cold beauty back, simultaneously steadying her to prevent a fall, his composure finally broke. Fu Xinran's footing slipped, and her entire body lunged forward, while her left hand instinctively steadied itself just below his lower abdomen.

Fu Xinran was wearing only a thin slip dress at the time. When Wang Zhuo caught her, only a mere layer of delicate fabric separated his touch from her skin. Especially where her firm, high bosom pressed against his chest and abdomen—the indescribable, soul-stirring contact instantly ignited a long-dormant fire of desire within Wang Zhuo.

The moment Fu Xinran regained her balance, she felt the object in her left hand rapidly swelling. She snatched her hand back as if electrocuted, her heart skipping half a beat.

"Answer my question quickly."

Wang Zhuo's voice was deliberately lowered, his breathing growing slightly heavier, all while maintaining the posture of holding her.

To know beauty and desire the young—Wang Zhuo was in the prime of his life, full of vigorous spirit. Fu Xinran, too, was in the bloom of youth, currently navigating an emotional void following a failed relationship. Furthermore, she had already harbored secret affections for Wang Zhuo, though her self-control had always been excellent, preventing her from ever revealing it.

Being held like that by Wang Zhuo, she was suddenly incapable of answering any questions.

Seeing her lower her head in silence, Wang Zhuo gently hooked a finger under her chin, lifting it slightly. Fu Xinran’s heart fluttered; her gaze flickered nervously, unable to meet his eyes, and she turned her face away.

Witnessing this, how could Wang Zhuo not know what to do next? While he hadn't been with countless women, the tally of those he had been intimate with was rapidly approaching double digits. Coupled with his recent close interactions with Ning Yao, who had won a Best Actress award for her craft, his analysis of female psychology had reached an apex.

So, he broke into a silent, knowing grin, easily yet firmly turning the secretary’s stunning face back towards him. He blew lightly across her eyes, causing her to instinctively close them, before leaning in and kissing her well-defined, crimson lips.

Fu Xinran’s resistance was not strong, but once Wang Zhuo fully claimed her mouth, she neither evaded nor reciprocated.

Her lips were sweet, carrying the fruity scent of frozen treats mixed with a hint of cream. However, her wooden response was something Wang Zhuo had never encountered before. He had experienced resistance, evasion, reciprocation, and even kissing back—but never this complete stillness, leaving him to perform a one-man show.

This quickly made the act tedious for Wang Zhuo. What was the fun in kissing a statue? Although she was indeed a beauty who sparked a desire to conquer in him, exquisite in both looks and talent, worthy of being claimed as a private treasure, this reaction was not what he wanted. Even a slight bite back would have been better than absolute nothingness!

...

"Sister, what do you think they're doing?"

Meng Shengdi was already on her third ice cream, and seeing that Wang Zhuo and Fu Xinran still hadn't returned, she grew curious.

Meng Sheng Nan, recalling the awkward scene in the garage that other night, felt a flush of heat rise within her. She replied with feigned calm, "What's there to guess? Finish up and come back to work."

"Oh!" Her sister agreed casually, standing up but not forgetting to strain her ears for any sounds coming from over there.

Finishing the rest of her ice cream in a few quick bites, she paused by the freezer case, opening it again as if reluctant to leave, and selected a popsicle.

"Sister,"

She caught up to Meng Sheng Nan, mysteriously shaking the popsicle and asking with a low chuckle, "Do you think Wang Zhuo is making Sister Xinran wrap this for him?"

Saying this, she popped the hawthorn-colored popsicle into her mouth, rolling it back and forth, her eyes twinkling with mischievous delight.

Meng Sheng Nan was at a loss for words. "Just practice wrapping that ice pop well. Next time, it'll be your turn to wrap it for him!"

"Hmph, if he dares put that in my mouth, then I'll..." Meng Sheng Di declared triumphantly before crunching off a piece of the popsicle.

Meng Sheng Nan was startled. This wasn't a game. She quickly pulled her sister close, earnestly lecturing her, emphasizing that if this troublemaker actually dared to bite it, the consequences would be dire!

Putting aside the sisters' academic discussion, on the other side, Wang Zhuo had already punished Fu Xinran for her lack of cooperation, using a method that was both simple and utterly frustrating.

Fu Xinran could no longer maintain her wooden façade because, after several quiet swallows, she realized Wang Zhuo was deliberately pushing his saliva into her mouth! This—this was too despicable!

Struggling free, she glared at Wang Zhuo with a look of shy anger, wishing she could land a solid punch and kick him twice, while her own mind was a chaotic mess, wondering how she was supposed to interact with Wang Zhuo now that this unspoken barrier had been broken.

"Was it tasty?" the mischievous rogue whispered softly.

And so, the two kicks she had been holding back finally landed squarely on Wang Zhuo...

Since the blows didn't really hurt, Wang Zhuo let her kick him twice, then took her hand, his voice filled with tender warmth. "Your tongue is so sweet. Let me taste it again."

Fu Xinran shook his hand twice, and seeing she couldn't break free from his grip, she raised her free hand and wiped her mouth with the back of it; her lips were now coated with their mingled saliva. Truthfully, the smell of dried saliva wasn't pleasant, but it stirred something deep within her heartstrings.

Fu Xinran didn't understand Wang Zhuo entirely. She was unaware that if she had feigned coy displeasure now, it would only result in Wang Zhuo pushing further. So, just as she was about to request, with a pained smile, that he let her go, Wang Zhuo pressed close to her. This time, his kiss was deeper, and he pulled her tightly into his embrace.

The broadness of his chest and the suffocating tightness of the hug quickly made Fu Xinran surrender. This feeling of being enveloped was something she had long yearned for. The only difference was that the embrace she dreamt of contained only sweetness and warmth, not something hard and intrusive pressing between them...