As soon as Zhan Beijue hung up the phone, his mother knew about Gong Beibei’s suicide attempt and called him back in a huff.
“Zhan Beijue. Where are you? Get back here immediately!”
“You were all set to get engaged, and look at the mess you’ve made now? Not a single one of you is a worry. You’ve completely shamed the Zhan family!”
“Are you with that vixen? Hurry back and figure out how to suppress this scandal! Do you know how much this will affect the company if it gets out?”
“Your grandfather worked so hard to build the company…”
He knew this would be her reaction once she saw the news.
Everything she said was within his expected range of useless nagging, irritating but not helpful.
So Zhan Beijue didn’t want to hear another word.
“It’s Gong Beibei who’s shaming herself, not me. At this point, don’t you think you have some responsibility too?”
“……”
“I’m not coming back. Even if I did, I wouldn’t go through with the engagement anymore, so don’t bother.
“I’ll handle things, you don’t need to worry. It’s getting late, go to bed. That’s all, don’t call me again.”
With that, he turned off his phone and drove back to the hotel.
Jiang Nanfang, having washed up, leaned against the headboard, texting Xu Yinchuan about work the next day.
Zhan Beijue returned.
He went to the side room first and, seeing she was still awake, tossed his jacket aside before heading to the bathroom.
Within minutes, he reappeared beside her, a towel wrapped around him, steam rising from his body.
It was so natural, so seamless.
As if they had remarried and were a couple, destined to share a bed.
Jiang Nanfang’s hand instinctively pointed at him as she pulled the silk quilt up to her shoulders.
“Why are you so forward? Who gave you permission to come into my room?”
Zhan Beijue looked as if it was perfectly normal.
“If not me, then who else? The children’s stepfather?”
“……”
“Don’t even think about it.”
He grabbed the remote, turned off the lights, stretched out his long arm, snatched Jiang Nanfang’s phone, and tossed it onto the bedside table.
He cupped her chin and turned her face towards him.
“I won’t allow the children to have a stepfather. Besides me, any man who enters your room will be crushed by me. Remember that?”
Their faces were less than an inch apart, his lips could touch hers at any moment.
As their breaths mingled, listening to his deep, magnetic voice, Jiang Nanfang’s heart pounded.
But she wouldn’t allow herself to be lost so easily.
“I’m not your wife, nor your girlfriend. Why should you be able to do whatever you want?”
Zhan Beijue looked directly into her eyes.
After hearing her words, he suddenly curled his lips.
“So, you’re asking me for an identity?”
It was as if she was eager to remarry him.
Jiang Nanfang turned her face away: “Who cares about asking you for an identity!”
Zhan Beijue raised an eyebrow: “Besides you, I haven’t touched any other woman. Doesn’t that say something?”
As he spoke, he tightly clasped her fingers in his palm.
“I know you don’t dislike me, you’re even expecting it in your heart. Stop talking, close your eyes.”
His chest was firm and powerful, and his features were handsome.
Honestly, as a straightforward woman, Jiang Nanfang truly couldn’t resist his masculine charm.
Since it wasn’t the first or second time, there was no need to be coy anymore.
“Then go downstairs and get something before coming back up.”
Jiang Nanfang had just had surgery a while ago, and Zhan Beijue remembered it.
He wouldn’t act impulsively again and hurt her body.
He obediently went to the bedside table to search, and after a rustle, he returned.
“You say you don’t want it, but you’ve already prepared the things.”
“I didn’t…”
Unfortunately, Zhan Beijue deliberately cut off her protest.
Although they had a tiring night, the next morning, concerned about the children, they both woke up early.
After washing and dressing the children, they had breakfast in the room. Zhan Beijue had Ah Zhong and Ah Cheng take them to school.
He personally drove Jiang Nanfang to work.
“Don’t leave after work, wait for me to pick you up.”
Upon returning to the company, Zhan Beijue instructed Ah Zhong to have someone tidy up the apartment at Tianfu International.
“I’ll move there tonight.”
“You’re moving to Tianfu International?”
“Yes. Vice President Gao’s apartment, he hasn’t been living in it, has he? Take it over, I’ll use it too. Get him a new one.”
Seeing Ah Zhong’s confused expression, Zhan Beijue explained.
“Because of my broken engagement, the old lady is unhappy these days, and I can’t be bothered to go back and listen to her nagging. Plus, I don’t want to explain the children’s affairs to her.”
“If they call you, just say I’m busy. Don’t say anything else.”
Ah Zhong understood and turned to leave.
Zhan Beijue sent Jiang Nanfang a WeChat message, sending her the address of Tianfu International and telling her to move in after work.
She felt their relationship was progressing too quickly.
Just a few days ago they were like mortal enemies, and now they were suddenly back together.
Sleeping together, and now planning to live together.
Jiang Nanfang couldn’t help but sigh.
Once there’s a physical connection and children between a man and a woman, it’s truly easy to become entangled.
As for Xu Yinchuan.
Not wanting to listen to his mother’s nagging, he had a big fight with her and moved into his office.
His old cards had been canceled, and now he had to fund the film preparations himself.
He had managed to get some friends to invest in the past few days, and had barely managed to finalize the basic crew members.
However, the main creative team became a problem.
Hiring unknown newcomers as actors meant no box office appeal upon release.
Hiring popular idols was prohibitively expensive.
So, he compromised with the investors and let them recommend a female lead to join the crew with her own investment.
Fortunately, there was a member of the popular new boy group in the entertainment industry who was his cousin.
Xu Yinchuan cajoled and pleaded with him to play the male lead.
While Jiang Nanfang wrote the script, he was busy making calls.
It wasn’t until noon that he managed to get his cousin to agree.
However, his cousin was in high demand, with variety shows and concerts, so he could only offer him his evenings.
“I want the film to be released during the Spring Festival slot, so it must be filmed before October.”
“We don’t have much time left. You’ll have to write and shoot simultaneously, and you might need to be on set to make adjustments and changes at any time. Is staying up late okay?”
Seeing Xu Yinchuan struggling to set up the film crew by himself, Jiang Nanfang knew she had to overcome any problems.
Fortunately, the children were now being taken care of by Zhan Beijue.
After a day of writing, she had produced five scenes, and Xu Yinchuan was quite satisfied.
At five in the afternoon, Zhan Beijue solicitously arrived downstairs to pick up Jiang Nanfang.
Getting into the car, she saw that Zhan Beijue himself was driving.
Jiang Nanfang found it strange.
Although she had been married, she had never been in a relationship.
And she had never experienced being picked up and dropped off by a man during a relationship.
This was her first time. Being brought to work and then picked up to go home, she felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration.
In a good mood, even the familiar streetscape outside looked exceptionally beautiful.
Zhan Beijue stole glances at her while driving.
Seeing her smiling and looking out the window, seemingly in a good mood, he was secretly happy.