Chapter 83

The next day, Fan Shengmei, wearing the silk scarf Wang Baichuan had given her yesterday and dressed in dazzlingly glamorous attire, casually slacked off at her desk to study men.

The older woman sitting beside her called out: “Xiao Fan, I just sent you a link—super juicy, scandalous gossip, go check it out right away.”

She snapped back to attention with a faint smile, thinking how tragic it was that middle-aged women spent their days on trivial nonsense. Fan Shengmei opened the link the older woman had just sent and glanced at it indifferently.

But as soon as she looked, her eyes widened in shock—the person in the picture wasn’t that damn Andi? She quickly scrolled from start to finish: the gist was that Andi was a homewrecker, seducing another woman’s boyfriend and forcing him to break up with his girlfriend, while also maintaining ambiguous relationships with other men, driving luxury cars and frequenting high-end venues.

Fan Shengmei understood the terror of online rumors and mob violence—just look at the chattering middle-aged woman beside her, a perfect example. She quickly made an excuse to leave, found a quiet spot, and called Andi.

“Hey, Andi, you’ve been smeared online.”

“Smeared me? What’s there to smear?”

“Exactly—that’s why I’m risking getting caught by our boss to call you, afraid you’ll get hurt without even knowing. Check it out right away—the top post on the forum about the overseas-returning female executive.”

Andi pulled up the post on her computer, took a look, and suddenly understood: “These photos were taken a few days ago—I thought I was imagining things, but it’s real.” After examining it closely, she scoffed: “Total nonsense. I never did any of this—let them say whatever they want.”

Fan Shengmei shook her head, pacing anxiously: “Oh my, Andi, you have no idea how vicious these trolls are—they won’t say a word to your face, but behind your back, they’re more venomous than snakes. If this keeps spreading, once people at your company find out, your reputation will be ruined.”

“No, people who know me understand me—they won’t care.”

“Of course, those close to you know it’s impossible. But those who don’t know you? They might think differently. Once they dox you, fabricate stories, turn lies into truth, and the whole internet calls you a homewrecker, you might not even dare show your face in public. And Wang Yan still doesn’t know—have you considered what he’ll think when he finds out?”

Andi smiled: “From what I know of him, he won’t care about something this trivial.”

Fan Shengmei shook her head: “Andi, don’t be so confident—what if he’s not like that? It could devastate your relationship.”

“If he can’t even tell the difference between truth and lies, then we’re not compatible,” Andi said seriously. Just then, her assistant notified her of a meeting. “Alright, thanks for your concern, but I can’t talk more—I’ve got a meeting. Gotta go.” She hung up immediately.

Listening to the dial tone, Fan Shengmei helplessly put down her phone: “The emperor isn’t worried, but the eunuch is frantic.” She paced twice, then remembered her latest ex-boyfriend, forgotten at the back of her mind. She called him to ask a favor—but he told her to follow official procedures, no backdoors possible… unless…

Back in the office area, Fan Shengmei saw the same older woman shouting: “Xiao Fan, Xiao Fan, come quick—the homewrecker’s been exposed! Graduated from a top university, CFO of Shengxuan Group, the guy’s name is Wei Wei… and there’s another unknown man who runs an internet company and has serious wealth too. This woman’s amazing—not only did she become CFO so young, she’s sleeping with the boss as a mistress while stringing along other rich guys, and both men are Wang Laowu!”

Someone nearby added: “Not just that—I heard from someone at Shengxuan that she’s got a special relationship with Tan Zongming. Otherwise, how could someone so young climb to that position?”

“Oh my, what’s so great about this woman? Playing three men at once?”

“Yeah, yeah, if it weren’t for…”

Fan Shengmei stopped listening to their gossip—she knew the situation had exploded. She rushed out again and called Andi.

Andi had just entered the meeting room and was about to start when she saw Fan Shengmei calling again. She thought for a moment, signaled her assistant, then stepped out to answer: “Hello? Xiao Fan? Really, it’s fine.”

“Andi, listen to me,” Fan Shengmei said urgently. “You’ve been doxed now—Wei Wei’s name’s out, and some info about Wang Yan too, though it’s only mentioned briefly. The main targets are you and Wei Wei. Andi, isn’t Wei Wei the same guy you told me about as Qidian? You really need to tell Wang Yan now—if he finds out from someone else, it’ll be completely different, you know?”

Andi wasn’t stupid—she realized the gravity of Fan Shengmei’s words. Before, the accusation was vague—just “homewrecker,” no names, so she could ignore it as baseless. But now, names were exposed. Whether or not she and Wei Wei had anything improper, they’d communicated for years—she’d definitely had contact with him. Wang Yan would inevitably think twice, suspect deception.

After a long silence, Fan Shengmei growing impatient, Andi finally spoke: “Alright, thank you, Xiao Fan. You don’t need to worry—I’ll call Wang Yan myself.”

Fan Shengmei groaned: “Andi, what ‘later’? Now, right now, immediately! I’ll think of something to help you too. That’s it, bye.”

Feeling cared for was nice—warm, human. Andi smiled, shook her head, and dialed Wang Yan on her phone.

In the software park office, Wang Yan was bent over his desk working.

With less than two months until the New Year, Wang Yan planned to officially launch after the holiday. So lately, there’d been a flood of tasks—many decisions needed his approval—and even with his skills, he was swamped.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at it and answered: “Hello, Andi? What’s up?” Since Andi rarely called without reason, he asked.

“Wang Yan… I need to tell you something.”

“Mm.”

“It’s like this…” Andi recounted the whole history of her past with Wei Wei. “Now, for some reason, someone posted online smearing me—I hope you won’t overthink it. I didn’t deceive you.”

“Alright, I understand. Don’t worry about it. Just carry on,” Wang Yan said firmly. “Oh, by the way, take a day off tomorrow—ask Tan Zongming for leave. Unless something unexpected happens, this will be resolved in two days.”

“Thank you, Wang Yan. But I don’t need leave—I still have to chair the meeting tomorrow.”

Wang Yan said: “Fine, your call. That’s all then. Bye.”

“Bye.”

After hanging up, Wang Yan pulled up the post on his computer. There were plenty of ways to smear someone—mix truth with lies, then hire two people to stir up the fire, and a small wind would rise.

After reading it, Wang Yan typed furiously, beginning to trace the IPs of the instigators.

He remembered this incident—the drama had been resolved by Qu Xiaoxiao, who got Yao Bin to help. He wouldn’t judge the well-meaning netizens, but he strongly disagreed with their methods.

The incident had grown big—recording a video to blackmail the woman into posting an apology? Would that work? Impossible. People would only think: Was she forced? Threatened? Forced to apologize? Without concrete evidence being made public, passionate netizens who stood up against injustice would only grow angrier—the situation would spiral out of control, impossible to suppress.

After some effort, Wang Yan found the data on A Guannan, glanced at it, then picked up his phone and called Yao Bin. Since it had been his solution before, why not let him handle it again?

The call connected. Wang Yan said: “Hello, I’m Wang Yan.”

On the other end, Yao Bin, lounging at home in his sentimental bubble, whispered: “Brother Wang? What’s up? Need something?”

Wang Yan didn’t waste time: “There’s a girl named A Guannan—she’s from a second-generation family. You know her, right?”

“A Guannan?” Yao Bin muttered, thought for a moment. “Oh yeah, I know her. What happened? Did she mess with you? Need me to handle her?”

Yao Bin wasn’t foolish. Even if his family’s wealth paled next to Wang Yan’s, he knew Wang Yan wasn’t someone easy to mess with. He’d learned his lesson—why make enemies unnecessarily?

Though Wang Yan had beaten him once, after last time’s events, he’d long since forgiven him—even sometimes felt grateful. Otherwise, he’d still be stuck under Qu Xiaoxiao’s manipulation. Still, sometimes he resented it: Why’d you have to ruin the fantasy? It hurt.

“No need to handle her. Just get her to talk—record evidence of her spreading rumors.”

“Rumors? What rumors?” Yao Bin was lost in his own little world—he had no interest in useless drama.

“I’ll send you the files in a minute—A Guannan and her two accomplices’ info too. Move fast. That’s it—I’ll treat you to drinks later.”

“That’s not right—you should be treating me, Brother Wang. I still haven’t taken you out to dinner since last time. Alright, I’ll keep you posted.”

After hanging up, Wang Yan sent the files to Yao Bin, without giving instructions—he knew Yao Bin wasn’t useless. Afterwards, he thought about giving them both another lesson. His previous advice hadn’t worked—they’d just blabbed endlessly, and this kid was stubbornly obsessed with one flower.

After hanging up, Andi smiled sweetly, recalling Wang Yan’s calm, reassuring words.

After the meeting, it was time to leave. She finished her tasks, sat back, and called Fan Shengmei: “Wang Yan said not to worry—he’ll handle it in two days. Thanks so much. I’m leaving early today—let’s get Xiao Guan and have dinner?”

Fan Shengmei, still arguing fiercely at her desk, paused and replied: “Since Wang Yan said it’s handled, we won’t meddle. As for dinner—no thanks. Xiao Guan just texted—she’s working late. And I’ve been arguing all afternoon—I’m exhausted. Besides, with your current situation, going out means everyone’s shouting at you. Just go home and cozy up with Wang Yan.”

Andi understood Fan Shengmei’s meaning, but didn’t mind—help was a kindness, not an obligation. She smiled: “You’re right. Then I owe you a meal—next time, just the two of us, no Wang Yan.”

“Haha, deal!”

After hanging up, Andi packed up to leave. But when she heard her colleagues whispering and spotted a note stuck under her windshield wiper—“Shameless homewrecker, rat on the street”—she realized the situation was far worse than she’d thought. She truly felt the damage this was doing to her.

Wang Yan left on time as usual. On the way, he got a call from Zhao Qiping, who’d heard gossip from the hospital nurses and was checking on Andi’s situation, inviting her to dinner—but said no more. He’d already received Andi’s message about not working overtime, so he stopped by to buy groceries and returned to Happy Valley.

Opening the door, he saw Andi quietly reading a book.

“Back?” Andi put down her book, stood up, and took his things.

Seeing Andi’s mood, Wang Yan comforted her: “Don’t worry—there’s no problem.”

“Someone left a note on my car tonight. I didn’t think it’d get this bad.”

“It’s fine. There’ll always be a few madmen—we’ll deal with them one by one.” Wang Yan changed the subject: “Alright, let’s cook.”

Andi helped chop vegetables while Wang Yan swung his wok with a clatter. Soon, four dishes and a soup were on the table.

Over drinks, Andi talked about Fan Shengmei’s help—what a good neighbor, a good friend, and so on. Wang Yan just smiled and nodded, gently steering the conversation away from today’s unpleasantness, talking instead about their daily lives or her brother. As for work, Andi never told Wang Yan details—not from lack of trust, but out of basic professional ethics. Likewise, she never asked about the specifics of his company—only knew the general picture.

As they chatted, Andi’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and answered: “Hello, Old Tan?”

“I heard someone left a note on your car tonight?”

Andi said: “Old Tan, don’t worry—I’m fine. Just a prank. I told Wang Yan everything—he said he’ll handle it in two days.”

“Are you together? Hand him the phone.”

Andi glanced at Wang Yan, then passed the phone over. He picked up and said “Hello,” when Tan Zongming immediately asked: “How do you plan to handle this?”

“Just petty jealousy and drama. The person’s been identified—results should come tomorrow,” Wang Yan said coolly. “Oh, by the way, I’ll hand the evidence to you—let Shengxuan sue them. Andi’s your employee—don’t you think you should take the credit?”

Silence on the other end—Tan Zongming was thinking. Then he said: “Alright, I’ll wait for your update. Tell her I’ll chair tomorrow’s meeting—she should rest.”

Wang Yan replied, “Alright,” hung up, and returned the phone to Andi. “You heard? Your boss gave you a day off.”

Andi shook her head and smiled: “Old Tan really…” “Then I’ll take the day off.”

Wang Yan picked up a chopstick and placed a bite of food on her plate: “Then tomorrow I’ll stay home with you.”

He knew Andi showed no outward signs, but inwardly, she still had worries. Once, no one cared—she had to endure everything alone. But now, Wang Yan gave her warmth, care, and security—and slowly, her hardened shell cracked. She wasn’t less strong—she just enjoyed being cared for.

Relaxed, she drank a little more. The meal lasted until past nine. After tidying up, they brewed tea to sober up.

Though Andi wasn’t drunk, her eyes were hazy, her gaze tender and full of unspoken longing.

Maybe he misread the signals—but he didn’t care. They’d been together long enough, their feelings deepened, their understanding profound—it was time to go further.

Quietly, he pulled Andi into his arms, lowered his head, and his hands began their slow, unrestrained climb.

Andi responded awkwardly. Though she’d grown up free in America and wasn’t traditionally conservative, her condition made intimacy difficult. But today, after hearing his confident “I understand,” she felt unprecedented safety—his words pierced her heart, and she finally knew: Wang Yan was the one.

After a while of intimacy, Wang Yan cupped Andi’s flushed face in both hands. Their eyes met for a moment—then without a word, he lifted her and rolled onto the bed…

Because of overtime, Guan Juer and Qiu Yingying returned to Happy Valley together and joined Fan Shengmei at the table for tea.

Guan Juer pushed up her glasses: “What can we do about Andi’s situation?”

Qiu Yingying, unconcerned, said: “Wang Da didn’t say he’d handle it? We just trust him. We’re too powerless—besides arguing online, we can’t do anything. And even arguing? We’re no match for them.”

“Yeah, Xiao Qiu’s right this time,” Fan Shengmei nodded deeply. “I argued all afternoon—I’m exhausted. My posts got buried instantly.”

Guan Juer thought: “Why don’t we go visit Andi? Comfort her—after all, she probably can’t sleep.”

“You’re silly!” Fan Shengmei playfully tapped her forehead. “Isn’t Wang Yan there? Why do we need to interfere? Won’t we be interrupting their romance?”

Guan Juer blushed and pushed Fan Shengmei: “Oh, Fan Jie~”

Qiu Yingying, munching chips, giggled as she watched them.

“Alright, alright, enough fooling around,” Fan Shengmei laughed. “You’ve met Wei Wei, right? From what I know, he’s the same guy Andi called Qidian. Xiao Guan, tell us—how does he compare to Wang Yan?”

Guan Juer thought hard, then recounted her two encounters with Wei Wei at the restaurant, adding her colleague’s analysis…

While they debated whether Wang Yan or Wei Wei was better, and upstairs the battle raged on, Wei Wei, far across the ocean, received a message from his friend back home…