They were eating their meal in an ordinary fashion, but Ye Xiong was uncharacteristically quiet. He did not make any of his usual quips.

Du Yuehua had been worried about undesirable events happening as they were the only ones in the house and were of opposite genders. Had Ye Xiong truly pounced on her during the course of the meal, she would be at a loss about what to do. Unexpectedly, however, Ye Xiong had taken his leave the moment he finished his meal.

For some reason, seeing the carefree Ye Xiong acting like a completely different person had caused Du Yuehua’s heart to ache.

‘There’s definitely a bunch of secrets lying deep down within this man’s heart.’

“Ye Xiong, did my words offend you?” Du Yuehua probed.

Ye Xiong turned to look at Du Yuehua, his eyes filled with sorrow. However, just as Du Yuehua was about to console him, he suddenly wheezed with laughter.

“How’s that, Sister Hua? Isn’t my acting brilliant?”

“You were acting earlier?” Du Yuehua’s face took on a dark shade.

‘The b*stard! I was worried about him, and yet he was only acting?’

“How else can I test your concern towards me if not by acting?” Ye Xiong was flashing a delighted smile as he suddenly walked in front of Du Yuehua. He said mischievously with a smile, “After some thorough analysis, I’ve finally determined that Sister Hua is indeed concerned about me.”

“I’m just afraid that no one will be able to help out at work once you’re gone.” Du Yuehua rolled her eyes at him as she spitefully spat the words out.

“Sister Hua, since I managed to settle the contract, isn’t it high time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain?”

“What bargain? I don’t seem to remember any.” Du Yuehua avoided Ye Xiong’s gaze.

“You promised me that you’d give me a kiss if I manage to pick up this client.”

Du Yuehua’s face turned beet red as she scoffed, “In what world did that happen? I’ve never made a promise like that before.”

A mere instant after she had completed her sentence, Ye Xiong suddenly dug out his phone and played a short recording.

“Alright, I’m going to head out then. Remember our promise alright, I’d better get that kiss when you lose.”

“Whatever. Just hurry up and leave. You’re running out of time.”

With a mischievous grin still hanging on his face, Ye Xiong declared, “You can’t rebut this, right?”

Du Yuehua was truly speechless. She had not expected Ye Xiong to be this despicable, going as far as to record their conversation as evidence. This time, she truly was not able to deny his claim

“You can go back on your promise if you want. Women that are able to keep their promises are few and far between nowadays,” Ye Xiong sighed.

“When did I say I’d renege on my promise?” Du Yuehua was so embarrassed that she began to panic. She then added, “Things haven’t even been decided yet. It’s not like the contract’s already been signed!”

“Then we’ll continue this conversation once the deed is done,” Ye Xiong giggled.

Upon stepping out of the house, Ye Xiong’s expression sank yet again.

He had originally thought that he had already buried the memories of his past comrades, but now, it seemed that it was impossible to do so.

He was in a sour mood, and as such, he sped his car directly towards the most luxurious bar within the city.

In moments like these, alcohol had proven itself to be the best treatment. As for his agreement with Yang Xinyi, he had already long forgotten them.

After he had finished drowning his sorrows in alcohol, he took a look at the time and realized that it was almost half-past eleven. Thus, he started to drive back home. Yang Xinyi had already drilled it into him to be home before midnight, as arriving any later would result in him being forbidden from entering the house.

By the time Ye Xiong had parked his car and entered the house, the time was exactly one minute before midnight.

He turned on the lights to the living room and was about to get some shut-eye back in his room when suddenly, he noticed an icy-cold figure sitting on the sofa. She sat as still as a frozen mountain and did not utter a single word upon his return.

“Eleven fifty-nine. I’m not late, right?” Ye Xiong joked as he plopped himself onto the sofa.

Besieged by the heavy odor of alcohol, Yang Xinyi furrowed her brows. She furiously chastised, “Have you been drinking?”

“Alcohol is a necessity in meetings. Why wouldn’t I be drinking?” Ye Xiong audaciously set his sights onto her slender, fragrant frame, and chuckled, “My dear wife, have you been thinking about me? After all, you’re still awake in the dead of the night.”

Each word that Ye Xiong uttered was accompanied by the thick stench of alcohol, causing Yang Xinyi to crinkle her nose involuntarily and grow more furious. Nevertheless, she soon sighed and revealed a look of disappointment.

After all, their marriage was only a farce, and even in the worst-case scenario, her life would still be better than if she had married He Haodong.

“A hundred thousand will be deducted from your allowance due to your alcohol consumption tonight, and another hundred thousand will be deducted for making me drink your milk this morning. Let’s see how much longer the money I’ve given you can last.” Yang Xinyi stated mercilessly.

“Woah, Woah, hold on there. Yes, I admit that I’ve broken the rules by drinking alcohol tonight, but this morning’s incident was totally your fault. You were the one who drank my milk with the intent to get an indirect kiss. So, what does that have to do with me? I won’t accept the second deduction,” Ye Xiong declared loudly.

“I dare you to say that again.”

After she had drunk Ye Xiong’s milk this morning, Yang Xinyi had been vomiting non-stop the entire afternoon. She had not eaten a single thing throughout the afternoon and evening. For her supper, she had only eaten a few scraps of porridge. It would have been better if Ye Xiong had not raised the matter, as her tummy was now on the verge of flipping upside down yet again. As Yang Xinyi was slightly germaphobic, this was considered even worse than death for her.

“I don’t care, I won’t accept you deducting it like that,” Ye Xiong said.

“Deal with it.”

Yang Xinyi stood up the moment she finished her sentence. It seemed that she was no longer interested in settling matters with him, as the stench of alcohol had aggravated the condition of her stomach.

“Ye Xiong, the only relationship between us is the one due to our trade. Had it not been for this trade, you and I would be in two different worlds. I really do hope that you’re able to consider your position and your responsibilities properly.” With that, Yang Xinyi returned to her room.

‘Two different worlds?’

‘So what? You can continue being the Ice Queen President, I’ll continue to enjoy the thrills of life.’

After taking a shower, Ye Xiong lied down on his bed and gently swung a pendant around.

The pendant had a crescent shape and a white jade as its base. Its sides were ornamented with dozens of white diamonds, and its center was hollowed out. A crimson jade the color of blood was affixed to the center, making it look extremely high quality. Ye Xiong had had its value appraised once before and learned that it had cost over ten million bucks. It was not something that an ordinary person could own.

As he looked at the pendant, Ye Xiong’s eyes began to stream with tears.

“Captain, please find my sister for me… Take care of her… I’ve discovered that she’s in the Guangnan Province, and I originally intended to find her… Once I’ve completed this mission. I never thought… This pendant… She has it as well…”

Ever since Qiao Yang had died, Ye Xiong had been scouring the Guangnan Province. However, he had gotten zero leads on Qiao Yang’s sister.

“Don’t worry, Qiao Yang. I’ll definitely find your sister.” Ye Xiong clenched his fists tightly.

The next morning, when Ye Xiong arrived at the dining table, Yang Xinyi was already present.

“Morning, my dear wife,” Ye Xiong greeted.

Yang Xinyi did not even raise an eyebrow as she pretended not to hear him. She was like a mountain.

Ye Xiong briefly inspected Yang Xinyi. She was wearing a white blouse today along with long grey pants. Her hair had been tied into a bun, and overall, her outfit had given her a detached aura. It suited her a lot.

‘I wonder what this woman’s like when she’s doing “it” in bed.’

A lecherous grin appeared on Ye Xiong’s face as he thought about it.

It was at this moment that Yang Xinyi lifted up her face, and her disgust towards Ye Xiong had been further amplified at the sight.

“My dear wife, I feel like I’ve been tricked.” Ye Xiong sighed, “When I first met you, you gave off the impression of being kind and understanding. It was for that reason that I chose to marry you. However, I now think that you have a major issue.”

“What issue?”

“You’re sick. The serious kind.”

Yang Xinyi immediately shot him a murderous glare at those words. Alas, Ye Xiong completely ignored it and continued, “For a germaphobe like you, who vomits at the slightest contact, I feel that you’ll vomit for three continuous days if you actually kissed a man.”

“Not if he’s someone I like.” Yang Xinyi stated seriously.

“Then I’ll do my best to make that happen.”

“Keep dreaming.”

“A man must always have a goal. Otherwise, what difference is there between us and a bunch of logs?” Ye Xiong stood up and prepared to go to work. However, just before he left, he tossed out a sentence, “One day, you’ll definitely fall for me.”