Zhang Yurong had no experience with matters between men and women, and now she had to bring back something to "strengthen his kidneys and replenish essence" for her man. She already felt extremely embarrassed and found it even more difficult to speak about it, but now Yue Yao was indeed amused, leaving her both flustered and awkward, "Laugh, go ahead and laugh! I knew you would make fun of me!"

Seeing her embarrassed and sulking, Yue Yao quickly consoled her, "I'm not laughing at you, I'm just laughing... laughing at Li Yan, yes, laughing at him. If he knew that in his in-laws' eyes, he's perceived this way, he would surely be in tears, wouldn't he?"

Zhang Yurong thought for a moment and couldn't help but smile. Yes, why should I feel embarrassed? It should be him feeling embarrassed.

Yue Yao then formally continued to analyze, "So it's because your mom asked you to bring these things back, you felt embarrassed. You wanted to quietly bring them back without a fuss, but Li Yan thought it was some edible treats, asked you for them, claimed they were for him, which made you angry?"

Zhang Yurong whispered, "I'm not really angry... I just couldn't control my tone at the time, and it came off a bit harsh, and then he stopped talking to me all the way."

With Yue Yao's understanding of Li Yan, she knew he wasn't the petty type, so she comforted Zhang, "Don't think of it like that, you should consider it more positively."

"Hmm?"

"I think Li Yan seems quite carefree and treats you well, so he probably isn't that petty, right? Perhaps he just assumed you were upset and couldn't figure out why, so he thought he'd wait for you to calm down and avoid aggravating you. Or maybe he didn't come back because he thought you were ignoring him all the way and sulked?"

"Really?" Zhang Yurong lifted her head, not wanting to quarrel or enter a cold war over such trivial matters. Now, it's not like before, when she could ignore him; it would affect her mood and could possibly impact her work.

"Maybe he's just taking his time coming in? Before we came up, we didn't hear a car leaving."

After Yue Yao's words of enlightenment, Zhang Yurong's mood brightened, but she had a new worry, which was about her parents' expectations of having a grandchild. This made her smile bitterly, holding that small bag of precious tonic herbs, "What to do with this? Whether I give it to him or not, it won't change the outcome."

"Well..." Yue Yao was as helpless. Marital love could be feigned, but pregnancy could not.

In theory, distinguishing a virgin from a non-virgin by appearance is possible. After a woman has had sexual experience, aside from speaking with slightly less shyness and being a bit more open, her physique will also undergo changes. Sex is a means of human reproduction, so after experiencing such, a woman's body instinctively begins to prepare for childbearing. For example, the hips and pelvis might change, affecting the waist and hips somewhat; there might be differences in walking posture and how they hold their legs closed, etc.

But these physiological changes are typically not significant and vary from person to person. It's not evident unless clothes are off for comparison, or for someone with a lot of experience and very sharp eyes to see. (Note: Don't try to use this as a standard to judge girls, regardless of right or wrong, if they despise you, don't blame me.)

Someone like Zhang Yurong, who has always been dignified in behavior and doesn't wear revealing clothing, is also embarrassed to discuss such topics with her mom. So even if there's no visible change, it would be quite normal. Her mom sees them always being loving, so she would not suspect that they hadn't consummated their marriage. Without that suspicion, she naturally wouldn't check further.

Hence, Zhang Yurong was still a virgin, and even her closest mother wasn't aware.

But pregnancy is different; it's not just about the belly; there are other changes, more apparent by the day. Anyone could easily tell, let alone an experienced mother. Once they knew the daughter was pregnant, the mother would surely scrutinize closely, take careful care, even come over to look after, and accompany her to the doctor or something. It would be impossible to hide for a few days.

"How about..."

The two simultaneously began to speak, then stopped together.

"You go first!" Zhang Yurong looked at Yue Yao expectantly, hoping she would come up with a good solution.

"How about you actually... live together, and naturally, the result will come?" Yue Yao found that even if she had a more open mindset, and regarded Yurong as a dear sister, it was still very challenging to encourage her to be with the person she loved most.

But ultimately, she said it, instead of seizing the chance to undermine them or egg them on to separate. Her thinking was, since she had been helping them develop feelings all along, why would it be hard to accept them becoming a real married couple? It was only a matter of time.

Perhaps, although she decided to fulfill them long ago, if they really became a loving couple, she should step aside, as living here would be pointless and inappropriate. She just wanted to linger around Li Yan a little longer, nothing more!

"How could that be possible!" Zhang Yurong immediately shook her head vigorously, "That's too unbelievable; I can't accept him yet! Even if I stepped back and accepted him, I couldn't possibly have a child now. I've just taken over the company, and now it's at a development bottleneck phase, so how could I get pregnant now? If I can't manage or need to take leave, the company will surely have a huge setback!"

It's not that she thinks too highly of herself, but the situation at Paradise Group is indeed like this. Although there is a wealth of talent, Zhang Tianyi had always been the leader before, and it was only in recent years that Zhang Yurong was nurtured and elevated. Initially, many people didn't respect her; it was through a series of bold new policies and her strategic oversight of the company that she stood firm. Unless Zhang Tianyi took over again, her absence, even for a short time, could plunge the company's leadership into a power struggle.

Although Yue Yao didn't know much about Paradise Group, she agreed after listening to her, "That's true, Huang Rong passed the leadership to Lu Youjiao because she was pregnant, and as a result, the Beggar Gang fell into decline..."

"Oh no... are you comparing us to the Beggar Gang?" Yurong was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"Haha... no offense meant."

After their joking, Yue Yao asked seriously, "So what do you mean? What were you trying to say just now?"

Yurong hesitated for a moment, "I think... maybe we should be honest with Mom and Dad. This way, I'm only dragging Li Yan down. Perhaps being upfront could be better for everyone."

Yue Yao didn't speak.

If they were honest, the outcome would certainly be the dissolution of this nominal marriage, and then they'd go their separate ways! In that case, Yue Yao would naturally leave with Li Yan and perhaps return to the way things were before. For her, that would undoubtedly be the best outcome.

But... looking at Yurong, though she said it would be better for everyone, she clearly didn't look happy about it. Yue Yao sighed inwardly, suppressing a hint of selfish desire.

"Sister Rong, don't think that way. It might be a blow to Uncle... I'm ultimately an outsider, not in a position to give suggestions. But Li Yan is different; whether he's the foolish Guo Jing, the flirtatious Yang Kang, or a disciple of the Beggar Gang, he's still your husband. You should consult him..."

Yue Yao's heartfelt words made Yurong hug her involuntarily, "Yue Yao, don't say that... Although we haven't known each other for long, you're not just a confidante; you're like my own sister. I've long considered you as part of my family... Without you, my life would be dull and boring, and who knows what my relationship with Li Yan would be like. Sometimes I feel like... you're the Guardian Angel sent by Heaven to help me..."

Yue Yao leaned on her shoulder, listening to her heartfelt words, her eyes becoming misty and slightly watering. Although it was a private, voluntary sacrifice for fulfillment, being seen this way gave her a sense of consolation. Yet she thought in her heart: Sister Rong, don't you know? I'm not sent by Heaven; it was Li Yan who asked me to guard you... he's the one you should thank and care about!

"Alright, alright, I'm getting embarrassed with all this talk. I haven't helped you much, yet here I am, living for free. Let's see if he's back!" Yue Yao forced a smile.

Yurong let go and also smiled, "Then don't say things like that, don't have such thoughts. Just keeping me company here makes me very happy."

"Alright, later, Li Yan will get jealous hearing this." Yue Yao jokingly said.

"Come with me to see... I just lost my temper with him, I'm afraid he might still ignore me, you can help me say something..." Yurong felt a bit guilty.

Yue Yao had no choice but to accompany her out. They went downstairs to find no one, and the car was parked in the garage.

Finally, they came to Li Yan's room, but knocked and got no response.

They opened the door and entered, seeing his change of clothes, and realizing he had gone to the gym after coming back without a shower.

"Yue Yao, could you help me talk to him?"

Yurong's sudden words surprised Yue Yao, "Sister Rong, it might not be appropriate for me, perhaps you should... or why don't you wait here!"

"Just briefly explain to him for me, I... I want to do something for him!" Yurong felt a bit embarrassed and seemed a bit excited.

Yue Yao looked at Li Yan's changed clothes, "You want to wash his clothes?" Well, for a young lady and a CEO, that would certainly be a rare thing.

"Uh... no, he's going on a business trip tomorrow, isn't he? I want to pack his luggage for him!" Yurong's heart seemed to beat faster, feeling that she could only do it while Li Yan wasn't here, fearing that if she left the room, she might lose the courage to do it.

"Alright then, I'll head out first." Yue Yao looked at her, her deep gaze hiding envy. She wanted to say: I'll pack, you go talk! But she couldn't say it aloud.

In the past, besides assisting Li Yan in his business, when they were in one place, she'd help him organize things in life as well. But now... this work was no longer her place to handle, and perhaps there would be little chance in the future.

With a touch of loss, she left Li Yan's room and went to the gym. Sitting in front of him, facing Li Yan who was running, she briefly went over their situation, helping to resolve misunderstandings between them. (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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