Chapter 26

A night of passion.

The next day, after tidying up at Wang Manni's place, Wang Yan returned home to Junyue Mansion.

Wang Yan absolutely would not tolerate Wan Zong's groping of Gu Jia.

Wang Yan didn't have this kind of squeamishness; even if he had, it had been thoroughly cured. But the targets I set my sights on—I haven't even laid a finger on them yet—and you, you old Wang Ba, go and start groping like crazy. Xu Huanshan is legally married, so he can't do anything—but that old Wang Ba son of a bitch, hasn't he been dealt with yet?

These past few days, Wang Yan hadn't been idle—he was chasing people, spending money, and gathering plenty of dirt. He'd gone through a lot to get these things.

In modern society, finding dirt is undoubtedly easiest and most efficient through online channels.

Just hiring hackers cost him a fortune; even though money can move gods, the process of moving them can't be avoided.

In other worlds later, if he wanted to get things done, he'd have to scour the globe for people—that'd be too slow. Thus, Wang Yan conceived the idea of learning computer technology, since this stuff was incredibly useful in modern society.

Wang Yan organized the materials and planned to anonymously report Wan Zong, directly sending that bastard to jail.

After Wang Yan left, Wang Manni confidently went to work.

When she arrived, she was immediately summoned by the company's investigators and property management personnel—this matter had to be resolved today, no matter what.

Wang Manni, confident and prepared, explained Wang Yan's plan to them and requested to review the surveillance footage again.

The result was obvious: they caught Linda, the mastermind behind it all. After a heated argument, Linda quit on her own.

After losing Wan Zong's contract, Gu Jia mortgaged her newly bought house and took out a loan to keep her company afloat.

Two days later, Mrs. Wang called her, asking her to accompany her to a wives' gathering. At this gathering, Gu Jia met Mrs. Yu and learned she ran an amusement park—this gave Gu Jia some ideas.

The group photo from the gathering, with Gu Jia edited out, made her understand what it meant to be ignored. She began scheming desperately to buy a bag good enough to open the door to the wives' circle.

Xu Huanshan didn't understand Gu Jia's thinking—he couldn't fathom how a bag could solve the company's crisis. But Gu Jia's years of accumulated authority suppressed his resistance, and he eventually agreed.

He scraped together money to buy her the bag, but deep down, he still didn't believe in it. He'd had doubts about Gu Jia for days—this added another point to his tally.

Because of this, things eventually circled back to Wang Manni through Zhong Xiaoqin.

Although Wang Yan had stolen the chance to rescue Wang Manni from danger, they still ended up meeting.

Wang Manni, having worked in luxury sales for years, had some connections and successfully bought the bag Gu Jia needed.

Gu Jia thus appeared in the wives' group photo for the first time—not the one cut out anymore.

Because of all this, Gu Jia's fondness for Wang Manni grew sharply; the "Just 30" trio was finally complete.

Wang Manni also received notice from her landlord telling her to vacate immediately.

She was torn—now, if she wanted to live somewhere this good, it would be nearly impossible.

In reality, she didn't have much money, and maintaining her quality-of-life spending was extremely expensive. If not for occasionally stringing along a couple of suckers, she'd have collapsed long ago—loan sharks would've been knocking on her door.

Frustrated, she happened to be promoted to supervisor, and her company reimbursed her for a vacation. She wanted to use this chance to relax and clear her head.

During their gathering, they discussed the difference between standard and executive cabins on the cruise. Gu Jia, likely forgetting her own past poverty—or simply assuming Wang Manni's means were sufficient—advised her to upgrade, going on at length. Wang Manni couldn't take it—when Gu Jia spoke, Wang Manni's mind was already playing a movie: swish, swish. She filed this away.

After they parted, Wang Manni lay in bed thinking about what preparations she needed for the European cruise—and no matter how hard she thought, it always came back to money.

She thought again of Wang Youqian, old Wu, Yan—the man with money. She considered pulling some tricks to get cash from Wang Yan. The last fifty thousand had already been spent on bags and cosmetics. This time, she'd initiated contact again, and Wang Yan had forgotten about paying her. Overall, Wang Yan got the better deal—but she hadn't lost out either.

She immediately called Wang Yan.

This time, she was confident he wouldn't hang up—she'd pulled so many stunts on him before, and she believed he was thoroughly satisfied.

True to form, he answered and immediately agreed, telling her to get ready.

It wasn't Wang Yan's fault—he was dealing with a face nearly identical to a globally famous celebrity, paired with the personality from a film world—who could possibly resist that?

Having lived through two worlds, Wang Yan's experiences had broadened, his realm had elevated—but this kind of fresh, thrilling sensation? No one could resist it. Who wouldn't enjoy free play?

That night, after Wang Yan arrived, the two enjoyed themselves.

Wang Yan lit his usual post-coital cigarette; Wang Manni lay limp on his chest.

She started muttering again about the European cruise trip.

Hearing this, Wang Yan understood—it was a request for money.

Wang Yan couldn't help thinking of Liang Zhengxian—that bastard's looks outclassed his by miles, and his sweet talk was more than enough. In seduction and flirting, Wang Yan truly wasn't his match.

But Wang Yan didn't need flashy tricks—he'd crush material desires with money, and for non-material ones, his personal charm, given enough time, could conquer and settle them. Didn't even Gu Jia, so steadfast in marriage, fail to resist him?

Compared to Liang Zhengxian, his method was just slower—it was a loss in looks alone.

Wang Yan thought seriously—it seemed Wang Manni's logic made sense.

Ultimately, between them, it was an exchange: Wang Yan paid for comfort; Wang Manni traded her body for cash. What she did with the money afterward? That was her business. Wang Yan had no right to interfere—it had nothing to do with him.

Once he understood, he stopped playing games—he transferred her one hundred thousand, covering the previous amount too.

Wang Yan didn't want to drag things out anymore. After the initial novelty wore off, he found it meaningless—he was done.

It was just a few tiers above three hundred bucks—more upscale, sure—but that's all it was.

He got dressed and left without lingering, saying, "It's over," and walked out.

Wang Manni watched Wang Yan get dressed and leave, heard "It's over," and was utterly confused—she didn't understand what was happening.

She'd seen this too many times. She knew once physical intimacy happened, there was no future for them. She'd expected this—but still felt a pang of regret. After all, he was the only rich man in years who'd treated her well.

Wang Yan had been generous—he gave her one hundred fifty thousand. Even if she'd gotten every cent, how much had Liang Zhengxian given her total?

He thought Wang Manni had been fooled, had fallen for real. She was genuinely aiming for marriage—otherwise, why go through all that dramatic, life-or-death nonsense?

Back home, Wang Yan washed up and went to sleep.

Time passed slowly. Gu Jia successfully struck up a conversation with Mrs. Yu. They bonded over childcare and horseback riding; Gu Jia would chat with Mrs. Yu whenever she had the chance. After all, Mrs. Yu had no children of her own and zero experience—Gu Jia, with her expertise, gave her advice on how a stepmother should interact with her stepson.

Over time, Mrs. Yu's fondness for Gu Jia grew steadily, and eventually, she introduced Gu Jia to her husband, the amusement park tycoon.

To be fair, in sales and management, Gu Jia was more than capable. The fireworks company's growth to this point owed much to Gu Jia.

By personal ability, Wang Manni, despite eight years in sales, was nowhere near her level.

The pillow talk worked wonders—Gu Jia and her husband successfully secured the amusement park contract. In the process, Xu Huanshan couldn't hold a conversation with real wealthy people—he felt out of place, lost his temper, and added another point to his tally.

Wang Yan handed all the tasks over to his subordinates. With no business of his own, he practiced calligraphy and studied computer science at home.

Computer science was essentially a logic problem—and Wang Yan's logic, thinking, and learning ability were more than sufficient. He didn't need a teacher—he just studied on his own and figured it out well enough.

He planned to learn construction first, then destruction, starting from the most basic assembly language, then C, then other things like Java and Python. Wang Yan's learning ability was good, his progress was encouraging, and within a few days his computer skills reached Level 1 beginner.

That afternoon, Wang Yan was practicing calligraphy at home when he received a message from Gu Jia saying Xu Ziyan wanted to come play for a while.

Wang Yan thought to himself, finally, Xu Ziyan was proving useful. He called the property management and asked them to issue Gu Jia a card for the 18th floor, excusing it as convenience for the child to visit freely. It was just an elevator card; after thinking it over, Gu Jia didn't refuse.

When she arrived upstairs, Wang Yan was already waiting at the door.

Xu Ziyan ran straight over to Wang Yan and hugged his leg, cheerfully calling him "Uncle Wang" over and over.

Gu Jia smiled apologetically at Wang Yan, who said nothing, only gestured that it was fine.

He picked up Xu Ziyan and walked into the house: "I heard you missed Uncle Wang? Tell me where you missed him."

Xu Ziyan, childlike, replied: "Everywhere."

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "Haha, you're really slick."

He then asked Gu Jia: "Where's Xu Huanshan? What's going on with him? Why do I always see you alone with the kid?"

Gu Jia sighed and explained: "Am I a full-time mom and housewife? Of course I'm the one taking care of the child."

"Xu Huanshan has to support the family. His company just landed a big contract last couple days—he's swamped."

Wang Yan nodded and said no more. A little nudge was enough; one or two remarks at a time was sufficient.

Inside the house, Xu Ziyan found everything fascinating, pulling Wang Yan around the entire apartment. Last time he'd been asleep and hadn't seen anything.

Gu Jia scolded Xu Ziyan from the side, telling him to behave.

Wang Yan couldn't just watch. Honestly, after all he'd been through, he still felt Gu Jia's elite education approach was flawed.

Perhaps this was because he wasn't elite? Or perhaps he still fundamentally held the mindset of that ordinary commoner he once was?

"It's fine, Gu Jia. If the child's happy, let him look around—it's not like there's anything he shouldn't see."

He turned to Xu Ziyan: "Let's ignore Mom, okay? You and I play our own way."

Xu Ziyan was delighted—he'd been worn out lately by Gu Jia's endless classes and lessons. This was why he'd insisted on finding Wang Yan: he just wanted to go out and have fun.

Children forget easily. At home, Gu Jia never mentioned Wang Yan—she felt guilty. Only Xu Huanshan ever brought him up; Wang Yan had made such a strong impression on him that he saw Wang Yan as his confidant, someone he could talk to comfortably.

That's why Xu Ziyan remembered Wang Yan—he'd often mumble about wanting to play with Uncle Wang. Today, it finally exploded: he threw a tantrum, refused all consolation, and demanded to see his Uncle Wang.

Xu Ziyan stuck out his tongue at Gu Jia, then pulled Wang Yan into a barrage of questions. Everything in the house had some meaning—even the ornaments carried symbolism. Wang Yan patiently explained each item, slipping in bits of knowledge to broaden the child's horizons.

Watching Wang Yan and Xu Ziyan laugh and chatter, Gu Jia felt happy too. She could tell Wang Yan genuinely liked Xu Ziyan. In that moment, she remembered how, long ago, their family of three had been just as joyful—but it had been so long since they'd felt such warmth.

Sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the room in warmth, making one feel drowsy and comfortable.

Unconsciously, Gu Jia fell asleep in the lounge chair on the balcony.

The atmosphere was harmonious, deeply warm—peaceful, as if time stood still.

Time passed in Wang Yan and Xu Ziyan's laughter and play, and before they knew it, night had fallen.

Wang Yan said: "Ziyan, Uncle's hungry. Are you hungry?"

Xu Ziyan nodded, tugging Wang Yan's hand: "Uncle Wang, I've been hungry for a while. Let's go eat together."

"Alright, let's eat together tonight."

He turned to Gu Jia, who had just woken up and was reading: "Gu Jia, call Xu Huanshan."

"He's got so much work—how can he finish it all? Tell him to come home early. Let's all go out for dinner. And let's have a drink too—we didn't finish last time."

Hearing Wang Yan mention drinking, Gu Jia remembered what had happened after the last drink—her face flushed.

She quickly turned away, pretending to search for her phone: "Okay, I'll call him, tell him to head out right away."

Wang Yan began looking for a restaurant. In the past, when he had no money, fine dining was out of the question—but now that he had money, he wouldn't deprive himself.

He picked a restaurant with sufficient quality, called ahead. It was dinner hour, so the place would be crowded. Fortunately, with a beautiful woman beside him and the heavens smiling down, he secured a table without trouble.

He didn't let Gu Jia drive—instead, they took his A8 together.

Not long after they arrived, Xu Huanshan showed up.

Hearing Gu Jia say they were drinking with Wang Yan, he knew the aftermath was unpleasant—but the experience itself was still enjoyable.

Now he wanted to unburden himself to Wang Yan, his confidant, and vent about his recent frustrations.

Soon, the food and drinks arrived. They weren't strangers anymore, so no formalities were needed.

Wang Yan and Xu Huanshan immediately downed a glass each—nearly two taels of liquor gone. Gu Jia tried to join them, but remembering last time, neither of them let her drink, fearing she'd overdo it.

After a few more sips, the alcohol settled, and Xu Huanshan's floodgates opened.

First, he apologized for his son disturbing Wang Yan—he was the father, after all, and if his son caused trouble, he owed Wang Yan an apology.

Wang Yan said he truly liked Xu Ziyan and enjoyed talking with him. He then casually proposed adopting him as his godson, taking their bond one step further.

After that, Xu Huanshan poured out his heart, recounting his recent experiences with Boss Wan and the time he'd played golf with the husband of Mrs. Xu.

Speaking of Boss Wan, he'd been taken away for investigation just the other day. According to rumors Gu Jia had heard, he'd never be released. Gu Jia had felt immense relief at the news—but she hadn't connected it to Wang Yan. She'd told no one; how could anyone else know? In the end, she could only attribute it to cosmic retribution and karmic balance.

Wang Yan sat beside him, offering comfort and sharing his own experiences.

There's a saying: when you talk with someone and feel a deep, effortless connection, maybe they're just humoring you? Isn't that how it goes?

Right now, that was exactly the case. Wang Yan's cultural refinement, personal cultivation, and one's own realm were all evident—he had lived far richer, more varied experiences than Xu Huanshan could ever dream of.

Xu Huanshan now saw Wang Yan as his life mentor, his guiding light.

The more they talked, the happier they became, and before long, they'd drunk even more.

Gu Jia had been watching them closely, hearing every word. She was glad—because many things she couldn't say to Xu Huanshan, who had repeatedly called Xu Ziyan the "younger son" while referring to himself as the "elder son."

Wang Yan was different. Xu Huanshan respected him, and his words carried weight.

She didn't need much—just that Xu Huanshan stop being so resentful toward social niceties.