“Qu Xiao, a marriage of convenience is about benefiting each other’s families. It’s a bargaining chip and a price.”

Shang Yan’s voice was clear. He let Qu Xiao hold his hand, while he used the cruelest and most straightforward way to explain their relationship.

“I’m willing to do my best to satisfy all your requests, but you have to understand that I have no feelings for you. I don’t want to lie to you. You can leave anytime, and I have no right to stop you.”

Shang Yan was giving her the initiative to end the marriage so that she could enjoy freedom and have a nice future.

But he refused to give her love.

Qu Xiao’s pride drove her to pull her hand out of Shang Yan’s palm. She bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes.

They looked at each other in silence. Qu Xiao suddenly smiled and tried to speak in a relaxed tone, “I understand. I’ve done many things that disappointed and hurt you. I even unintentionally helped the Ling family and Qu family take advantage of you and put you in a difficult position.”

“But now I really understand what I want. I’ve already fallen in love with you!”

“Shang Yan, let me stay by your side to help you and accompany you, okay? Don’t push me away, and don’t reject me.”

“Give us a chance to start over!”

Tears streamed down Qu Xiao’s face as she curled her cold fingers and confessed sincerely.

She was not lying. She had liked Shang Yan as a character before she came into the book, and now that she was in it, she felt very sorry for what he had been through. She had truly developed feelings for him.

Shang Yan resisted the urge to wipe her tears. He felt that Qu Xiao had changed too much and he could not get used to it.

However, every time he saw her cry, Shang Yan could feel his heart clenching as he relented and indulged Qu Xiao.

The bedroom was so quiet that they could hear each other’s heartbeats. Qu Xiao was lost in her thoughts.

Could she move Shang Yan and make him agree to let her stay?

Qu Xiao’s eyes shifted as she looked at Shang Yan with tears in her eyes. She said stubbornly, “Even if it’s a marriage of convenience, I’m willing to help you expand the business map of the Shang Group. You need me.”

“I have something on the Ling family that can help you get back all the projects that you’ve lost.”

Shang Yan shook his head and laughed. He did not care about the small projects that Ling Chi snatched away.

However, seeing how serious Qu Xiao was, Shang Yan still nodded and agreed.

A huge load was taken off Qu Xiao’s chest finally. She stood up and wanted to leave. When she reached the door, she seemed to have thought of something and ran back to the bed. She gently put her hand behind Shang Yan’s neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Her soft lips brushed past Shang Yan’s face like feathers, stirring up feelings that he thought he would never have.

With her hand on the door, Qu Xiao playfully tilted her head and winked at him. “Goodnight, hon!”

She closed the door shyly, and Shang Yan was stunned for a moment. After a while, he forced out a muffled “mm”.

He used his fingertip to touch the hickey on his cheek, and his ears turned red.

Shang Yan picked up the new shirt that had fallen to the ground. He felt a slight resistance to the unfamiliar color.

He raised his head to look at all the black, white, and gray clothes in the closet. He placed the light green shirt on the bedside table, and he picked up his phone to call his assistant Li.

At 11 am, the phone rang three times before Li picked up.

Shang Yan looked at the schedule arranged for tomorrow and closed his laptop. He looked at the dark night outside the window and said coldly, “Spread the news about the Ling family to the media and secretly buy shares. Don’t let them notice...”

Li was a bit shocked and took note of it.

...

The next morning, Qu Xiao came out of her room yawning.

As usual, she was wearing a loose silk robe and asked the butler to make her a cup of coffee.

Qu Xiao nestled lazily on the sofa and hugged the pillow beside her comfortably.

In her sleep, she thought she saw a familiar figure sitting opposite her.

Wait? Qu Xiao sat up abruptly and rubbed her eyes in a daze.

Shang Yan was wearing the shirt she bought and sitting at the dining table reading the financial newspaper. The coffee on the table was steaming.

He seemed to sense Qu Xiao’s shocked gaze and put the newspaper down. “The shirt fits me very well. Thank you.”

Qu Xiao ran to his side barefooted and sat down. She looked up at the wall clock and mumbled strangely.

Shang Yan was known for being workaholic. They would see him working in the office at eight o’clock every morning.

What’s wrong with him today? He was still at home?

The butler placed the coffee in front of Qu Xiao. Shang Yan picked up two milk balls and placed them in her cup.

He said in a low and gentle voice, “I’m on leave for two days.”

“From now on, I’ll have breakfast with you at home before going to work.”

Taken aback, Qu Xiao stopped biting her bread and almost choked.

The sudden gentleness of Shang Yan made her a little stunned, but she felt a hint of sweetness from the bottom of her heart.