Ye Chenyan held her gaze for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
The city stretched behind him through the glass walls of the office, cold sunlight spilling across the dark floor between them.
Finally, he spoke.
"If we're doing this, then we do it properly."
Li Xinyue's eyes lifted slightly.
Ye Chenyan walked back toward his desk and pulled open a drawer, retrieving a thin black folder before placing it in front of her.
"A cooperation agreement," he said calmly.
Her brows rose faintly. "You prepared one that quickly?"
"I dislike uncertainty."
Of course he did.
Xinyue opened the folder slowly.
The contents were ruthless, and efficient.
Public appearances together when necessary.
Mutual protection of public image.
No interference in each other's business affairs.
No unnecessary emotional entanglements.
A one-year engagement period before reconsideration.
Her eyes stopped briefly at the final line.
Under no circumstances will either party publicly embarrass or abandon the other.
The words sat heavily in her chest.
Ye Chenyan noticed the slight pause in her expression.
"My family pays attention to appearances," he said evenly. "If you become associated with me, people will target you eventually. I won't tolerate public disrespect toward my fiancée."
Fiancée.
The word sounded strangely dangerous coming from him.
Xinyue closed the folder gently.
"You make marriage sound like a corporate acquisition."
Ye Chenyan leaned lightly against the desk.
"Most high-society marriages are."
"And ours?" His gaze settled on her.
"Ours," he said slowly, "depends on you."
silent.
There was no flirtation in his tone.
That somehow made it worse.
Because he was serious.
Xinyue studied him carefully. Ye Chenyan was difficult to read, but not impossible.
Beneath the calm exterior was someone intensely controlling—someone who calculated outcomes before emotions could interfere.
A dangerous man.
But not a careless one.
And after last night, carelessness was the last thing she needed.
"What exactly do you want from this arrangement?" she asked quietly.
"A peaceful engagement. A believable marriage if necessary. No drama." His eyes narrowed slightly. "And honesty."
She almost laughed at that.
"Honesty?"
"Yes."
"From me?"
"Especially from you."
Xinyue tilted her head slightly. "You say that as if I'm deceptive."
"I think," Ye Chenyan said calmly, "that you're the type of person who buries her real thoughts so deeply that eventually nobody notices she's bleeding."
Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the folder.
Again
Again he saw too much.
The air between them shifted subtly.
Too personal.
Too close.
So Xinyue stood smoothly before the silence could deepen further.
"Fine," she said. "We cooperate."
For the first time since she entered the office, Ye Chenyan looked mildly surprised by how easily she agreed.
"That's it?"
"You're offering stability. I'm offering credibility. It benefits both of us."
"And emotionally?"
Xinyue met his eyes calmly. "I don't intend to involve emotions."
Something unreadable flickered across his face before disappearing.
"Good," he said softly. "Neither do I."
Li Xinyue nodded once and turned toward the door.
"Wait."
She paused.
"If we're engaged," Ye Chenyan said, "stop calling me Mr. Ye."
A strange silence followed.
Then slowly, she looked back at him.
"…Alright. Goodbye, ChenChen."
The sound of his name in her voice made his expression shift for half a second before returning to normal.
Xinyue stepped out of the office without another word.
The employees outside immediately pretended not to stare.
Her engagement to Ye Chenyan had already spread through the company like wildfire.
Ignoring the curious gazes around her, Xinyue walked toward the elevator and pressed the button.
The doors opened instantly and She stepped inside.
Just as the doors began to close again—
A hand suddenly stopped them.
The elevator reopened.
And Shen Yichen walked in.
Unlike Ye Chenyan's composed coldness, Shen Yichen carried warmth naturally. But today, that warmth was strained thin. His usually gentle expression was tight, his breathing slightly uneven as though he had rushed there without stopping.
The moment the doors closed, his eyes locked onto hers.
"Xinyue."
Her face remained calm. "Young Master Shen."
The formal address made his expression darken immediately.
"You're avoiding me."
"I've been busy."
"I called you seventeen times."
"I know."
"Then why didn't you answer?"
The elevator descended slowly.
A suffocating silence settled inside.
Shen Yichen stared at her for several seconds before speaking again, his voice lower this time.
"Was last night real?"
Xinyue didn't pretend not to understand.
"Yes."
His jaw tightened.
"You're really engaged to Ye Chenyan?"
"Yes."
"You can't possibly be serious."
That finally made her look at him properly.
"And why not?"
"Because you don't love him."
The words hung heavily in the air.
Xinyue's expression didn't change, but something cold entered her eyes.
"Interesting," she said softly. "Nobody seemed concerned about love when I was standing on that stage being humiliated."
Shen Yichen fell silent.
She continued calmly, "All of you watched it happen."
"It wasn't like that."
"Then what was it like?"
He opened his mouth, then stopped.
Because he didn't have an answer.
Xinyue gave a faint nod, as if confirming something to herself.
"I thought so."
"Xinyue…" Shen Yichen stepped closer instinctively. "You're angry right now. I understand that. But using Ye Chenyan to retaliate against Ruoruo is dangerous."
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"You all keep saying I'm acting impulsively," she said quietly. "But none of you have realized something very simple."
Shen Yichen frowned slightly.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"This is the first decision I've made for myself in years."