I did not cheat.

Ye Mian pushed her cart into the beverage section and picked out two boxes of imported coffee beans before remembering Jiang Chen’s habit of drinking tea. She wasn’t sure exactly what kind of tea he preferred or which brand, only that the tea itself always looked beautiful, suggesting he had refined tastes.

She pulled out her phone to snap a picture of the tea aisle, intending to send it to Jiang Chen to ask, but her gaze was suddenly drawn to that transfer notification. She hadn’t seen it clearly before, but now her eyes were fixed on the string of zeros, and she stood there in a daze for several seconds.

!!?

She was stunned!

Taking a deep breath, she sent the photo of the tea and then tapped the voice recording button, pausing for two seconds to compose herself before saying, “Big Shot, are you burning money or something? Does a grocery budget really need to be fifty-two thousand???”

In that moment, Ye Mian felt like she was the one being kept and provided for. Her mind went blank, and seeing her dream of being a wealthy woman spoiling a male model shattered, she immediately sent the money back without a second thought.

However, the money was heartlessly returned to her almost immediately.

A voice message from the man followed, his tone deep and laced with a hint of a smile.

“Mm, it’s just grocery money for my girlfriend. It’s not much; buy yourself something good to eat.”

He emphasized the word “girlfriend” with particular weight.

Ye Mian’s breath hitched. In an instant, that ticklish feeling in her heart, like being scratched by a cat, flared up again—intensely scorching, accompanied by her racing heartbeat. She knew Jiang Chen was wealthy and that this amount of money meant nothing to him, but her memories still ached for the Jiang Chen of the past.

Before she could decide how to reply, another voice message came in.

“Are you trying to buy me tea? I’m not picky; anything is fine.”

Ye Mian put her phone down and looked at the tea section. Jiang Chen was indeed incredibly easy to please. He wasn’t even worried she might trick him with low-quality tea. Though she thought that, Ye Mian didn’t skimp on her purchases. She looked through almost all the expensive teas, buying a selection of black, green, white, and Pu-erh. Even so, the quality of tea in a supermarket wasn’t top-tier, and the total cost didn’t even come close to the fifty-two thousand he had sent her.

After buying the tea, Ye Mian prepared to leave. Passing through the fruit section, the display had been replaced with many bright red apples, including gift-wrapped ones in cloth bags decorated with green and red ribbons and a small reindeer doll—they were incredibly beautiful.

Ye Mian picked out the cutest one and happily paid before heading home.

On the way back, she still felt something was missing. Thinking about how she had received flowers from Jiang Chen several times but had never given him any, she opened an app on her phone and ordered a bouquet of deep, dark red roses. It wasn’t a huge bouquet—just 33 stems wrapped in black paper. Imagining Jiang Chen holding the flowers, she couldn’t help but curve her eyes in a smile.

When she returned home, she carried the tea to Jiang Chen’s room, only to find he was still on a call. He seemed exceptionally busy today.

Ye Mian sat obediently in a chair, planning to browse information about car dealerships while she waited. She had nothing to do today; her studio staff were on holiday, with only a few video bloggers still busy managing their accounts. But Ye Mian had already equipped them with teams, and the viral points were handled by those teams. With the steady growth of the past few years, she had learned that when professional matters are left to professionals, she really didn't need to worry too much.

Come to think of it, she had indeed earned quite a bit of money starting from her second year. While not enough to buy several houses at will, she could certainly afford a car. She was thinking of buying one for her father and one for herself before the New Year. Of course, her father’s would come first.

The work call Jiang Chen was on seemed different this time; it sounded like a phone interview. The professional terminology he occasionally let slip and his rigorous logic left Ye Mian in awe. She was no longer in a state of not understanding anything. She had taken many masterclasses and signed many contracts, but she had never heard a masterclass at Jiang Chen’s level, and she felt she couldn’t afford to miss it.

So, she stopped browsing her phone, snuck over to his side, and listened intently, afraid of missing a single word. Outside the window, snow fell from time to time, white, fluffy flakes landing on the glass and melting, though more accumulated on the windowsill like a plush blanket.

Jiang Chen occasionally placed his hand on Ye Mian’s head, and she would occasionally grab it to play with; he seemed to have no temper, letting her pinch his fingertips like a toy. The snowy scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows became a backdrop for the two of them, drifting and romantic beyond words.

Every now and then, when she looked up, Ye Mian could catch a glimpse of Jiang Chen’s smooth, sharp jawline, his refined brows and eyes, and his composed demeanor. He seemed born with that half-smiling, ascetic look, which was especially captivating while he worked.

He was so handsome. He could make money. And he had such a good temper.

Ye Mian mused, even wanting to kiss his cheek.

Then…

Her restless, eager gaze was captured by Jiang Chen. The man’s long, fair fingers brushed across her face, but it felt as if they had grazed her heart, setting off ripples. By the time she reacted, Jiang Chen’s fingertip had come to a stop, resting gently on her lips, carrying the cold scent of agarwood yet feeling incredibly hot.

It felt as if a current were passing through, generating a constant, gentle warmth. Ye Mian blinked, subconsciously wanting to speak, but his hand covered her eyes. Deprived of sight, her other senses became exceptionally keen. She heard the man whisper a gentle “shh” in her ear, and then her forehead was kissed—just a light touch, incredibly commanding yet filled with extreme tenderness.

A moment later, Jiang Chen pulled his hand away. When Ye Mian looked at him again, he had returned to his working state, his posture serious and upright, though his gaze seemed unable to move away, fixing on her with a particularly provocative intensity.

Ye Mian stared blankly for several seconds before, unable to bear the shyness in her heart, she fled to the living room and sat on the sofa, covering her face and giggling foolishly.

Her mind was a blur. Not long after, the doorbell rang. Ye Mian, realizing it must be the flowers she had ordered for Jiang Chen, walked to the door with a light step.

It was snowing heavily outside, and the delivery driver’s helmet was covered in a thin layer of snow. Ye Mian’s first words were, “Thank you for your hard work.”

The delivery driver smiled brightly, handed the flowers to Ye Mian, and said, “It’s my duty.”

Perhaps because there were few drivers on such a snowy day and many orders to fulfill, he walked away quickly and hurriedly. Ye Mian looked blankly at the pink rose gift box in her hands, doubting her own existence.

How did she remember ordering a bouquet of thirty-three red roses?

How had it turned into a pink rose gift box??

Did the driver deliver the wrong one?

Thinking of this possibility, Ye Mian hurriedly pulled out her phone to contact the driver, only to find that her order was still marked as "out for delivery."

So, this bouquet…

She looked down and saw a small card on the flowers that read:

*May you sleep well every day, and be free of worries every day.*

She hugged the flowers and closed the door. Jiang Chen had finished his call, his gaze falling on the flowers.

She said in a daze, “No, I didn’t cheat. I don’t know who sent these.”