In the car, watching the flushed-faced Xu Nan, who pretended to be calm while hanging up the phone, the young man with a flawlessly crisp shirt remained silent, his gaze complex and thoughtful.

Very soon.

The car returned to the Provincial City store of Wanxin Hesheng.

Back in the office, Xu Nan put down her bag, sat back in her seat, and immediately noticed the crisply dressed young man, who was staring blankly while filling his cup with water, only coming to his senses when the water overflowed from the cup.

Sitting at her desk, Xu Nan looked at him with some surprise and frowned, "What's wrong with you?"

The young man remained silent for a moment before speaking in a deep voice, "I was just a bit distracted."

Xu Nan's gaze softened a bit, and then she said softly, "Put the cup down, let's have a drink."

With that, Xu Nan took out two glasses and a bottle of red wine from the storage ring, opened the bottle and poured the wine, then handed one of the glasses to the crisply dressed young man, "Brother Cheng, speaking of which, you have been protecting me for nearly ten years, haven't you?"

"Thirteen years, six months, and three days," the crisply dressed young man replied earnestly.

Xu Nan smiled, sat back at her desk, and said dreamily, "Time flies so fast, I still remember how I used to follow you around everywhere."

The young man smiled gently, his eyes tender, "Back then I was immature and caused you to be scolded by the master many times."

Xu Nan smiled and, changing the topic, seriously said to the young man, "Actually, I've always known that you like me, Brother Cheng."

The crisply dressed young man remained silent.

Xu Nan looked calmly out the window and said seriously, "Actually, if I hadn't met Shen Qiang, I might have been willing to be with you. You are excellent, always silently standing by my side, and I can feel your silent care."

The crisply dressed young man hesitated for a moment, then put on a very fake smile and looked at Xu Nan, "Miss, thank you for being honest with me, cheers."

With that, the young man lifted his neck and drained the wine, then said respectfully, "I know what I need to do, but I hope to continue serving as your bodyguard, though I know my strength now is far inferior to yours."

Xu Nan smiled, "Sure."

The young man left.

After he left, Xu Nan gently placed the wine glass aside and then took out her diary from the storage ring and wrote in it.

"I thought that no matter what, I would never hurt Brother Cheng, but when his sunny smile appeared in my mind, I did it without hesitation. Maybe this is the impulse of love."

She put the diary away.

Picking up the wine glass, looking at the already drained glass placed aside, Xu Nan's lips curled into a slight smile, lightly touching her glass to the empty one, and whispered, "Cheers, Brother Cheng, because in this matter, I can't deceive myself."

...

At eight in the evening, after dinner, Shen Qiang arrived at the Dinghao Hotel as promised.

Just arriving at his office.

Zhang Shuheng appeared.

Sitting in his chair, Shen Qiang smiled, "I like powerful people, but I don't like those who have defeated me. So you better have a good reason to be here, or I might not be able to resist calling someone to take care of you."

Hearing this, Zhang Shuheng replied helplessly, "You wouldn't."

Saying this, Zhang Shuheng placed a phone in front of Shen Qiang, "Play a round with me, my goal is to become the strongest King, and I'm almost about to advance to Silver of Order."

Shen Qiang was stunned, "You didn't return to Shanghai and stayed here just for this?"

Zhang Shuheng raised an eyebrow, "The family head wants me to ally with you and rise with the help of Heshenghe's power, but I knew you wouldn't agree because you and the Zhang Family are enemies. Whatever I say to you is pointless anyway."

"But if I stay here long enough, the family head won't stop bothering me when I go back. Do you understand?"

Looking at Shen Qiang's surprised expression, Zhang Shuheng said, "So let's just sit here and play a round. Then you can go back to your work, and I'll play my game. Tomorrow morning I'll go back and report that the talks broke down, and you can say whatever you want; it doesn't matter to me."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang laughed, flicking Zhang Shuheng's phone back to him, "You really are an interesting guy. I wonder how someone with such an addiction to gaming could ever reach Dao Fruit Stage cultivation?"

Zhang Shuheng pursed his lips, "What is Dao?"

"Dao is the ultimate pursuit," Shen Qiang replied indifferently.

Zhang Shuheng laughed, "Wrong. Dao is the true self. When you find your true self, you find Dao, and thus you have the fruit."

Shen Qiang chuckled, "Everyone has their own Dao in their heart. How they walk and act is their own problem. Maybe I am different from what you imagine."

Seeing that Shen Qiang was not interested in the game, Zhang Shuheng started his own, "Are you considering forming an alliance with the Zhang Family? That would be great, my report would be simpler."

Shen Qiang laughed, a playful look in his eyes as he looked at the seemingly carefree Zhang Shuheng, but thought he was smart.

In fact, no matter how the negotiations went, the result would only have two possibilities.

One, agreement. Two, refusal.

So, even if he was straightforward, there would be no surprise in the outcome.

"Let's discuss the alliance later. But I think you are quite interesting, you are welcome to visit anytime."

With that, Shen Qiang stood up and left. At the door, he turned back to the raised eyebrow of Zhang Shuheng and smiled, "When you finish playing, remember to turn off the lights for me."

Leaving Zhang Shuheng in the office.

Shen Qiang walked to the luxurious hotel suite area, adjusted his shirt cuffs, and knocked on the door with a smile.

The door opened, and seeing the charming and delighted eyes of Jing Xiangwei, Shen Qiang smiled, "Is Auntie asleep?"

Jing Xiangwei coquettishly opened the door, "No, she's chatting with me, come in."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang naturally entered the room.

In the living room of the suite, he immediately saw Jing Xiangwei's mother. After a polite greeting, Jing Xiangwei's mother elegantly sat on the sofa in the living room and looked at Shen Qiang, "Mr. Shen, I heard from Xiangwei that you have an agreement with Bai Jiao from the Bai Family?"

Shen Qiang smiled honestly, "Yes."

Jing Xiangwei's mother smiled, "Then, may I ask how you plan to arrange for our Xiangwei?"

Having mentally prepared, though slightly nervous, Shen Qiang calmly replied, "I came here precisely for this matter. I hope Xiangwei can move into Heshenghe Mountain Villa and be there earlier than Bai Jiao—for example, now."

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