Volume 1, Chapter 35: You Can't Just Cheat Like That

Song Yu extended the invitation once more.

Ning Yuelan pondered for a moment, then tugged at Fang Mo’s hand. "Little brother, shall we go?"

Fang Mo thought about it; it was only a little past eight. If he and Yue-lan had dinner alone, they would likely be done by just after nine. With such a long night ahead and such a soft, fragrant beauty by his side, who could possibly sleep?

"Let’s go."

"Then let’s go have a light bite."

Only then did Song Yu smile and lead the way.

Throughout the walk, Ning Yuelan kept her hand firmly in Fang Mo’s. Several regular patrons ran into Ning Yuelan and greeted her warmly.

"Oh, Ms. Ning, it’s been a long time."

"Hello."

"Is this your cousin with you, Ms. Ning? He looks quite delicate."

Indeed, Fang Mo had spent the entire afternoon in the hot springs, and the humid heat had left his naturally fair skin with a faint, rosy flush. He looked just like a young man who had only just reached adulthood. It was understandable that those unaware would mistake him for Ning Yuelan’s younger cousin.

However, Ning Yuelan made no attempt to hide their relationship. Every time they encountered someone, she introduced Fang Mo with graceful ease: "This is my husband."

"Husband!?"

"Ms. Ning is actually married?"

Such exchanges happened no fewer than three times along the way.

"Sister, do you come here often?" Fang Mo asked, feeling a bit confused as they neared the open-air barbecue area.

The woman chuckled at the question. "Mm, I suppose you could say quite often, otherwise I wouldn't have become a super VIP here."

After saying this, Ning Yuelan glanced at Fang Mo and leaned in close to his ear. "What’s the matter? Are you afraid I’ve come here to soak in the springs with someone else?"

"No, no..." Fang Mo’s face turned bright red, and he waved his hands frantically.

In truth, that was exactly what he had been thinking. Since he had never been close to Yue-lan’s life before this, he knew nothing of her hobbies. The idea that a woman would love soaking in a bath as much as a man loves a foot massage was something he couldn't quite grasp.

*Unless this resort is where she’s keeping a secret lover,* Fang Mo thought with a flash of resentment. But then, he shook his head to himself. *What kind of weird things am I suspecting? She’s Ning Yuelan!*

As a high-powered CEO who had gone years without even a hint of scandal, if she really wanted to do something, could she hide it from the media, let alone from Li Haowen, that resident of Chaoyang District who was always on the front lines of gossip?

"Damn, you two are so slow! Walking a hundred meters, you make it feel like a marathon," Song Yu suddenly called out, flipping the two of them the middle finger from a distance. "Even if you want to be lovey-dovey, you have plenty of time tonight, don't you? Can’t we just sit and chat properly for a while?"

Wu Jiabei and the others sitting at the barbecue stand rolled their eyes as well.

Seeing that he and Yue-lan had apparently caused public indignation, Fang Mo touched the tip of his nose and gave an awkward cough. "Sorry, ladies..."

Zheng Ronghe clicked her tongue. "Look how well Fang Mo can talk. We’ve known Ning Yuelan for years and have never heard the word 'sorry' come out of her mouth."

Outside of her interactions with Fang Mo, Ning Yuelan always maintained the air of a cold, icy queen in front of others. She ignored Zheng Ronghe’s jab entirely and pulled Fang Mo to sit down at the table.

The weather wasn't too cold, and with the group gathered around the fire, the glow illuminated their faces in a warm red. The scent of the bath she had just taken clung to Ning Yuelan, and Fang Mo, already feeling lightheaded from the hot springs, found his mind wandering in a restless, agitated way.

"What do you want to eat? Don’t stand on ceremony with me," Song Yu said, handing out menus to everyone.

Zheng Ronghe snorted. "Who would stand on ceremony with you? This place is practically your family's anyway."

Wu Jiabei waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever is fine. But since it’s so rare for us to all be together, and since Yuelan doesn't have to go home early tonight and her husband is right here, let’s have some drinks."

The other women had intended as much when they called everyone over. Seeing that no one at the table refused the suggestion, Wu Jiabei called the waiter over directly. "Could you bring us a case of beer, please?"

*How much?*

"A case?" Fang Mo’s eyes widened. *Can they actually finish that? There are only a few of us!*

Ning Yuelan seemed to read the confusion in Fang Mo’s eyes and said with a smile, "Don’t underestimate them. Wu Jiabei is a famous nightclub princess in Jiangcheng, and Zheng Ronghe’s family business is related to the alcohol industry; you can basically consider her as having grown up in a vat of wine. As for Song Yu, if she doesn't want to get drunk, it’s impossible for anyone to get her there. As for me, I have plenty of social engagements—have you ever seen any rumors about me in the Jiangcheng media?"

That was true. Ning Yuelan held a high position of power, so social drinking was inevitable. The fact that there wasn't even a baseless rumor about her was proof enough that her tolerance was extraordinary.

*Does that mean I’m the only lightweight at the table besides Li Haowen?*

Ning Yuelan lowered her eyes to scan the menu. "They all have high tolerances. A case is just their starting point. You’d better see how much you and Li Haowen can handle."

"Then just bring us one bottle each."

So much for having a "light drink." Fang Mo still remembered why he and Yue-lan had ended up together. Mentioning the word "drinking" in front of her now made him want to find a hole to crawl into. The last time he got drunk, he had dragged Yue-lan to get their marriage license. Heaven knows what crazy thing he might do if he got drunk again. If he dragged someone else to get a license, he’d be guilty of bigamy...

Fortunately, with his "sister" watching, a little light drinking should be fine.

"Damn, you two grown men are only having one bottle each?" Wu Jiabei was clearly not happy. "When we play games, we drink fast. We’ll be through a bottle or two in minutes..."

"That’s enough. If Fang Mo can’t drink, I’ll drink for him," Ning Yuelan said, waving her hand. She had seen what Fang Mo was like when he was drunk. "If our little brother gets drunk and loses his mind, no one here will be able to stop him."

Upon hearing this, Wu Jiabei and the others all looked confused. They didn't know the truth behind Ning Yuelan’s flash marriage; only Li Haowen pursed his lips and suppressed a laugh.

"Yue-lan, didn't we agree not to bring that up?" Fang Mo looked at Ning Yuelan with a dark face.

The woman covered her mouth and let out a light, giggling laugh. "Fine, fine, I won't mention it again."

If any other man in Jiangcheng had grabbed a cold, high-powered female CEO to get a marriage license while drunk, they would be ecstatic. Only Fang Mo, this kid, acted as if he had gotten the better end of the deal but was still complaining, treating it like a dark history.

Soon, the barbecue arrived. Pork belly, thick-cut beef, Wagyu—all kinds of top-tier ingredients were laid out. No one stood on ceremony with Song Yu; they picked up their chopsticks and dug in.

"Little brother, try this."

Ning Yuelan played the role of a little nanny, grilling meat for Fang Mo the entire time, leaving the young man feeling quite embarrassed.

Wu Jiabei watched from the side, green with envy, and said sourly, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Someone’s been busy for ages and hasn't eaten a single bite herself, just focused on grilling for someone else. Ning Yuelan, you don't even need to diet with that figure. What’s this? Fall in love with being a nanny?"

Hearing this, Ning Yuelan lifted her eyelids with indifference. "It’s not that. I just don't like being on top; I’m afraid if I eat too much, I’ll throw up all over our little brother. Besides, when we get back, our little brother can make me eat from below."

"Eat what? There aren't any noodles or pots in the room..." Wu Jiabei stopped her movements, suddenly stunned.

Fang Mo had already started coughing frantically. "Cough, cough, cough..."

*Good grief,* how does Yue-lan manage to say the most suggestive things with such a calm expression!

The other three women blushed, lightly chiding Ning Yuelan for her lack of restraint as a married woman.

Once they had eaten their fill, Wu Jiabei suggested a game. "Let’s play 'Never Have I Ever,' shall we?"

*Never Have I Ever?* Fang Mo paused. He rarely went to drinking parties, and he hadn't even mastered dice games yet.

Wu Jiabei grinned. When it came to drinking games, she had absolute authority. "The rules are simple. Everyone holds up five fingers. We each say something we’ve done. If you’ve done it, you put a finger down. If you haven't, you keep it up. After a round, whoever has the most fingers left has to drink."

The rules sounded simple enough. But for some reason, a bad premonition flashed through Fang Mo’s heart. Wu Jiabei’s gaze toward him and Ning Yuelan was full of malice. Clearly, she was annoyed that the two of them had been showing off their affection all day and intended to use this opportunity to get revenge.

"Everyone understands the rules, right?" Wu Jiabei gave them a cunning look. "Let’s start. I’ll go first... I am not married."

*What!?* Not married!

*Can you even say that?* Wu Jiabei, Song Yu, Zheng Ronghe, and Li Haowen all laughed and put down a finger. The only married couple present was Fang Mo and Ning Yuelan.

Ning Yuelan’s beautiful eyes narrowed.

Next, it was Song Yu’s turn. She grinned wickedly. "I don't have anyone I like."

*Pfft—* Damn it, this was blatant targeting. Pure, unadulterated targeting. The others at the table put down another finger.

When it was Zheng Ronghe’s turn, Fang Mo couldn't help but feel nervous. Zheng Ronghe clicked her tongue. "My turn, right? Then... the person I like is not at this table."

*How nice.* The four of them were clearly conspiring to make him and Ning Yuelan drink. Just as Fang Mo forced a bitter smile, Ning Yuelan coldly snorted.

"I can have children."

At that moment, Li Haowen, Song Yu, and Wu Jiabei only had two fingers left. Ning Yuelan and Fang Mo still had five. If things continued, they would definitely be the ones drinking. But with Ning Yuelan’s comment, Fang Mo and Li Haowen’s eyes widened.

Li Haowen blurted out, "Ms. Ning, you’re ruthless. Sacrificing your own husband?"

With that statement, Ning Yuelan put down one of her own fingers, leaving her with four. The other three women only had one finger left. The two men, Fang Mo and Li Haowen, obviously couldn't fulfill what Ning Yuelan had said.

However, this meant that the last person to drink would, without a doubt, be Fang Mo.

Fang Mo widened his innocent eyes and looked at the woman sitting beside him, who was biting her red lips with an enchanting air. He looked devastated. "Yue-lan, you can't play dirty like that..."