Chapter 7 Escalating Tensions

"What?" Yang Changfeng felt a bitterness he could not express, like a mute forced to swallow a bitter herb. He hadn't expected Chen Aijia to play such a trick, making up a story and accusing him of breaking his promise—this was pure slander.

"Auntie, I didn't stand her up. I really did go to meet that woman from the Lu family," Yang Changfeng explained with all his might.

But Chen Ruoqian refused to hear a word: "You brat, tomorrow you'll go straight to the young lady's company and tell her yourself. This time, you absolutely cannot stand her up. If you dare run away again, don't blame me for booking a flight back to teach you a lesson."

With that, she hung up the phone, not giving Yang Changfeng the slightest chance to reply.

"That crazy woman," Yang Changfeng muttered. Thinking of what his aunt had said, he couldn't believe Chen Aijia would stoop to such measures, even claiming he hadn't gone to see her—an utter fabrication.

But the thought of meeting her again tomorrow made his blood boil. If not for his aunt, he wouldn't want to see that woman again for anything in the world. Yet things were as they were, and he couldn't defy his aunt's wishes; after all, she was his only family in this world.

It seemed tomorrow he would have to grit his teeth and face that icy woman one more time.

The night passed in silence. Early the next morning, Yang Changfeng got up, ran ten laps around the nearby streets, then returned to wash up. He changed into his relatively new tracksuit, then set out.

According to the address his aunt had texted him, Chen Aijia's Warner Group was located on Jinghua Road, right in the heart of Jiangzhou—a financial district with hundreds of companies lining the street.

After asking for directions to Jinghua Road, Yang Changfeng reluctantly dug through his pockets. The last of his money had gone to Xu Jie'er; now he had less than five hundred yuan left. If he didn't find a job soon, he would end up on the streets.

Half an hour later, Yang Changfeng got off the bus at Jinghua Road and looked around. Skyscrapers rose on all sides, and the streets bustled with office workers hurrying by like ants.

In the central section of Jinghua Road stood a twenty-story building. On the glass wall to the side, four bold characters proclaimed "Warner Group."

So the Lu family's business was no small enterprise. A building like this in such a prime location was worth several hundred million at least. But thinking of Chen Aijia's cold demeanor, Yang Changfeng didn't care if her family was the richest in China—he had no intention of marrying that woman.

On the twentieth floor, in the president's office atop the Warner Tower, Chen Aijia sat behind her desk, working through a stack of backlogged documents, when suddenly her desk phone rang.

She picked up the receiver out of habit, expecting to hear her secretary Anya remind her of a meeting, but instead she was greeted by infuriating news.

"I don't want to see him. Go and send him away," Chen Aijia slammed the phone down heavily.

She couldn't believe that the man she loathed had the audacity to come to her company. Remembering the scene at Peninsula West Restaurant yesterday, Chen Aijia wanted nothing more than to tear him limb from limb.

After receiving the president’s reply, Anya sighed softly and glanced at Yang Changfeng, who was chatting idly with the two receptionists at the front desk. No wonder the president looked down on this guy; truth be told, her own first impression of him wasn’t great either. He seemed like a complete playboy. If the president really married him, who knows what trouble might arise.

"Hello, Secretary An. What did your president say?" Yang Changfeng asked with a smile.

Anya looked at him impassively. "Mr. Yang, our president is very busy and has no time to see you. You should go home for now."

"What? My wife doesn’t have time to see her husband? That can’t be right. Didn’t you tell her I’m here to get the marriage certificate with her? Unless…" Before he could finish, Anya, looking anxious, hurried over and pulled him aside.

Seeing her nervous expression, Yang Changfeng realized that Chen Aijia absolutely did not want her employees to know about their relationship.

"Secretary An, what are you doing? I’m an upstanding man. Don’t tell me you think I’m so handsome that you want to confess to me?" Yang Changfeng pretended to be surprised, secretly amused. He had plenty of ways to deal with a woman like this.

Anya hadn’t expected him to be so shameless. Her cheeks flushed, and she shot him an embarrassed glare. If not for fear that others might overhear their connection, she would have called security to throw him out.

"Don’t flatter yourself. I just want to warn you—don’t talk nonsense," Anya said seriously.

A sly smile tugged at Yang Changfeng’s lips. "Whether or not I talk nonsense depends on your president’s attitude. If she keeps finding excuses to keep me out, I can’t promise I’ll hold my tongue. If that happens, your whole company might find out about me."

"You…" Anya was stunned by his audacity. He was actually blackmailing her. If this wasn’t handled properly and the situation escalated, the president would surely blame her.

"Secretary An, you’re so pretty—I bet you’re a smooth talker. Why not try persuading my wife? I’m sure she’ll agree to meet me." Yang Changfeng refused to believe that a woman like Chen Aijia really didn’t care about her reputation.

Anya felt utterly exasperated. She’d seen shameless men before, but never one like this. In the end, she nodded reluctantly to his demand.

When Chen Aijia heard Yang Changfeng’s unreasonable threat, she was livid. Never in her life had she met such a shameless man, nor been threatened by anyone. Yet this brazen Yang Changfeng dared to threaten her.

"Call security! Throw that scoundrel out!" Chen Aijia shouted in fury.

Anya quietly advised, "President, if we do that, he’ll probably stir up even more trouble. If everyone in the company finds out he’s your fiancé, then…" She left the rest unsaid.

"Aaah—" Chen Aijia, shaking with rage, grabbed the file on her desk and hurled it to the floor. "Shameless man, shameless man! Yang Changfeng, even if you were the last man on earth, I would never marry you!"

"Oh dear, darling, why are you so angry? If you make yourself sick, I’ll be heartbroken." The door swung open as Yang Changfeng strode in, grinning broadly.

"You… How did you get in here?" Anya stared at him in disbelief.

Yang Changfeng spread his hands. "I walked in, of course. Did you think I flew?"

"You…" Anya was completely stunned. The Warner Group had strict security; it was impossible for a random person to reach the twentieth floor. How had he managed it?

"Yang Changfeng, how did you get in here?" Even Chen Aijia was taken aback. How had this man made it up here?

Yang Changfeng smiled. "I told them I was your cousin, and they let me in."

"What?" Both Anya and Chen Aijia were dumbfounded.

Yang Changfeng’s lips curled with amusement. "Surprised? Actually, I wanted to say you were my wife, but I was afraid they’d line up to welcome me. To save everyone the trouble, I chose a different identity."

Chen Aijia’s face turned ashen, her brows furrowed in fury, and her anger reached its peak as she glared at Yang Changfeng. Suddenly, she exploded.

"Yang Changfeng, get out! Or I’ll call security to throw you out right now!"