Chapter 71: One Versus Three

The office was shrouded in a strange, heavy silence. Six pairs of eyes turned simultaneously toward Wen Nan as he walked in through the door.

At last, the first to break the silence was the wealthy woman seated on the nearby sofa, infamous for her generous offers to bear a child.

“Why is it you?!”

She stood up, approached Wen Nan, tilted her head ever so slightly, and regarded him with an amused smile. Her gaze, frank and unrestrained, swept over him from head to toe.

“…Me?” Wen Nan paused, momentarily at a loss for words, and could only look back at her in bewilderment.

She appeared to be about twenty-five, with long wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, her makeup meticulously done—lashes curled like a doll’s, bold winged eyeliner, and crimson lips that added a sharp edge to her features. Around her neck glittered a Bulgari necklace, a globally limited-edition Cartier bracelet adorned her wrist, and she wore a Celine wool suit, nude stockings, and classic Louboutin red-bottom heels that accentuated her long, straight legs. Draped casually over her elbow was a runway LV trunk bag.

This woman radiated the scent of wealth from head to toe.

Altogether, her designer items could have bought Wen Nan two apartments.

As Wen Nan’s gaze fell upon her, a character profile echoed in his mind—

Name: Yang Jingyuan (Xiao Yuan)
Role: Wealthy woman seeking a child at any cost
Background: The sole daughter of a local real estate tycoon, Yang Jingyuan was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Raised with every luxury, she developed a willful, headstrong nature. She’s staunchly against marriage, a devotee of hedonism, and her first twenty-five years passed without a hitch—until, at twenty-five, disaster struck. Her father fell gravely ill and was admitted to the ICU, and her mother soon after was hospitalized from exhaustion.

Having skirted death, her father began to pressure her relentlessly, demanding she marry quickly for the family’s sake. Yang Jingyuan refused, but now, standing at twenty-six, she suddenly changed her mind. Realizing her parents couldn’t be with her forever, she decided she wouldn’t marry, but neither did she wish to grow old alone. She resolved to bypass marriage but have a child of her own.

She found an agency catering to women like herself. After perusing countless male profiles in their database, Yang Jingyuan’s eyes landed instantly on a handsome college student named Ye Jiu.

She immediately called and contacted you. Upon learning her intentions, you felt utterly helpless, declined politely, and explained that your résumé had been submitted to that agency as a prank by your roommate during undergrad. Now, three years later, you were a regular company employee and could not accept her request.

Yet, unexpectedly, only days after that call, the two of you crossed paths in this very way.

Strategy Difficulty: ★★★★★★★

Yang Jingyuan caught Wen Nan’s look of confusion and laughed. “Don’t you recognize me? I’m Xiao Yuan, the one who contacted you a few days ago.”

The female CEO, seated in her swivel chair, looked at them in surprise. “You two…know each other?”

Yang Jingyuan shook her head. “Not exactly, but you could call it fate.”

The CEO’s brows knitted with suspicion as she glanced at Wen Nan.

Smoothing her skirt, Yang Jingyuan said her goodbyes to the CEO. “Alright, sis, I’ll leave you to your work.” As she brushed past Wen Nan, she slipped a business card into his hand and leaned close to his ear, whispering, “Think over my offer, won’t you? Now that I’ve met you in person, I’m even more interested.

“I promise you, the process will be most enjoyable. The terms—you set them.

“No need to refuse me right now. I’ll be waiting in the parking garage downstairs. Once you’ve made up your mind, come find me and tell me in person.”

Though she leaned in to speak, Yang Jingyuan made no attempt to lower her voice; it was clear she didn’t care if the others heard. Her words reached the CEO’s ears with perfect clarity, deepening the storm on her face as she said coldly:

“Xiao Yuan, this is my office. Are you here to poach my people?”

Yang Jingyuan turned back with a laugh. “Relax, sis. I only want to borrow your employee for a short while, not steal him away.”

Without waiting for a retort, she tossed out a breezy “Bye-bye” and headed for the door. As she passed Wen Nan, she gave his chest a light pat. “Remember to come find me.”

Once Yang Jingyuan was gone, the CEO shot Wen Nan a cold look, preparing to interrogate him, when another woman on the sofa stood up and approached.

“Irene, I happened to pass by, so I brought over the things you asked me to test last time,” she said, placing two boxes on the table in front of the CEO.

The packaging was discreet, with no indication of the product inside. One box bore the code 001, alongside a side-profile poster of a muscular man showing off his abs, and the slogan: “Loves you more than your husband, pampers you more than your boyfriend, understands you better than your fling.”

The other box was labeled 002, with the words: “Double the endurance, double the pleasure, double the experience.”

As Wen Nan pondered the phrase “double,” he fell into deep thought.

The CEO raised a hand and pushed the boxes back toward the married woman. “These are just company samples. I said they were yours—no need to go out of your way to return them.”

The married woman smiled. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll leak your unreleased products?”

Seeing the CEO insist, she bent down and whispered, “Besides, these things are lifeless objects. I tried them and lost interest. You know what I want…is something alive.”

At the mention of “something alive,” she turned slightly, casting a sidelong glance at Wen Nan, her eyes brimming with barely suppressed desire.

Wen Nan stared, startled, and for a fleeting moment imagined the kind of fox spirit from old tales, draining the life out of men in the deep mountains.

“Well then, may you find your ‘living’ owner soon,” the CEO said with a helpless shake of her head, reclaiming the boxes.

The married woman chuckled. “I’ll be off, then. You get back to work.” She picked up her bag and headed for the door, pausing beside Wen Nan to whisper, “Don’t forget to come to my place tonight. I’ll be waiting.”

Wen Nan: ?

(End of this chapter)