Chapter 999: Happy New Year! Prosperous Year of the Dragon!

Another year has come, and without realizing it, I’ve been writing web novels for three years—thank you, brothers, for your unwavering support.

To show my appreciation, this chapter is free, just like the past two years. The main text is 4,300 words, worth two jiao one fen (VIP users, please sit down). Think of it as a massive red envelope giveaway—have some fun, brothers.

Wishing you all a great new year: good health, high spirits, smooth career, abundant wealth, inner peace, happy family, smooth life—in short, everything goes well! Happy Year of the Dragon!

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In the large private room on the top floor of Zhenzhen Garden, Li Li sat on Wang Yan’s lap, arms wrapped around his neck, gazing at him with a smile.

To be honest, Li Li had resisted Wang Yan’s sudden move. But unfortunately, this wasn’t a movie—there were no slow-motion kisses—and before she could process it, Wang Yan had already kissed her.

After the initial shock, she no longer felt the nausea of exchanged food particles; swept along by Wang Yan, she fully gave in…

One hand supporting her back, the other caressing her thigh, Wang Yan smiled and asked, “How’s this kind of comfort?”

“It’d be better if you’d brushed your teeth first.”

“Same thing. Even after brushing, there’s still saliva—how clean can it really be?”

“Still, it feels better mentally.”

As she spoke, Li Li loosened her grip from around his neck; Wang Yan naturally released her leg and lifted her up with his other hand behind her.

She sat down calmly beside him, picked up her wine glass, nodded to Wang Yan, downed it in one gulp, swished it in her mouth twice, and swallowed. Then she wiped her lips with a napkin and resumed eating.

Her movements looked natural—but precisely because of that, they revealed her inner unease. Her heart was surely churning.

Wang Yan drank and ate in silence, the moment quiet—but the sensual, intimate atmosphere remained unbroken.

In fact, since their intimate moment by the river in Baoshan, things had already changed. Before, when Wang Yan came to eat here, Li Li would sit briefly, exchange a few words, sip one glass of wine, then make some excuse to leave. But today, Li Li had no intention of leaving—she kept chatting with Wang Yan, casually and aimlessly.

This alone speaks volumes. And now Wang Yan had openly acted like a rogue, crossing normal social boundaries into physical contact. Such a shift in their relationship still needed adjustment.

“How’s your team doing?” Li Li began making small talk. Though she often seemed deep, mysterious, and calculating, she was still fundamentally an emotional woman.

“Not great. The skill level is still low—we need more training and to discover talented players. This is a long-term endeavor. To expect instant success—building a team today and winning a championship tomorrow—is impossible. At least ten to fifteen years, maybe even twenty.”

“That’s a long time for little return.”

“Not everything needs to be about returns. More important is how you feel. As they say, a thousand gold pieces can’t buy what you truly love—that’s the point.” Wang Yan spoke lightly, smiling. “Next time there’s a game in Shanghai, I’ll take you.”

“Okay.” Li Li nodded with a smile, her eyes shimmering, reflecting only Wang Yan’s face.

Wang Yan asked, “You opened the restaurant to pay off debts—what do you really want to do?”

“I never thought about it. I used to be a trader—fast transactions, hundreds of millions or more passing through my hands daily. All I thought about were rolling numbers. I had no other ambitions. Then came the change—I had no time to think. Now I’m paying off debts, focused only on closing more deals, dealing with all kinds of people, collapsing into bed exhausted, not even dreaming—how could I have energy to think about anything else?”

“Then you need to think seriously.”

Li Li paused, then smiled and nodded.

Though there had been no more kissing or touching since then, Wang Yan and Li Li now interacted more naturally. Of course, this was from Li Li’s perspective—Wang Yan had always been natural. He spoke less formally, more casually—clear signs of lowered defenses.

Wang Yan often took Li Li out for walks, ate at small, tasty restaurants, and chatted about anything and everything. Undoubtedly, this was precious to Li Li, who had long been deprived of real life.

But then again, people of this era—even the first to grow wealthy—hadn’t yet learned to enjoy life. Hard work and earning money remained the mainstream.

In such a crowd, Wang Yan was an anomaly…

Many things rarely go smoothly—even for Miss Wang. When she learned that Boss Fan intended to redistribute the sales, no longer entrusting it to Bao, she, despite having no feelings for Bao anymore, still followed her principles as a friend and went to Zhenzhen Garden to scold Boss Fan, then gave a cold, disdainful look to Li Li, who stood smiling with arms crossed, before leaving.

Back on the 27th, her good days ended.

Because she was being promoted to Section Chief, Mei Ping, still furious, reported Miss Wang.

Wang Yan drove to the entrance of Yedongjing, walked in with a smile: “What’s the rush?”

“Something’s happened, Boss Wang,” Lingzi hurried over. “Miss Wang might be under investigation. This afternoon, someone asked Linghong how much the pearl earring cost. I called Boss Bao—he told Linghong to produce the purchase receipt to prove its value. He also told me to call you and let you know. Miss Wang’s definitely in trouble.”

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow and asked Linghong, who stood frozen: “How much did you say the earring cost?”

“Twenty thousand… twenty-six thousand.”

“What was the real price?”

“Real price… real price…”

“Oh, come on—it was two thousand six,” Lingzi interjected. “It’s not a big deal, right?”

Ge Laoshi said, “Oh my, a state cadre and a private business owner—twenty-six thousand yuan? That’s obviously suspicious.”

Tao Tao nodded vigorously: “Exactly! Linghong, you’ve really ruined Miss Wang this time.”

“How was I supposed to know? When they asked, I wanted to give Miss Wang face! Besides, Lingzi already said twenty-six thousand—Boss Bao must’ve already paid up. I couldn’t contradict Lingzi!”

“What? You’re blaming me? You…” Lingzi glared angrily at Linghong.

“Enough, enough—why fight now? We don’t even know the full situation yet. But Linghong, you’d better find that purchase receipt. Think: why are they only asking about that one pearl earring? The difference between having it and not having it is huge. I’m going to check on the 27th first.”

Wang Yan waved them off, leaving Lingzi and the others staring at each other, then turned and walked out.

He’d briefly considered it, but chose to let the plot unfold. After all, here, it was just one word from him. If he pretended not to see it, the original conflict would still erupt…

He drove straight to the 27th, went upstairs, and headed to find Jin Hua for information.

“Boss Wang! What a rare visit!” Mei Ping stepped out and greeted him warmly. “Looking for Miss Wang? She’s been sent home early—Section Chief ordered it.”

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: “I heard. I just came to check the situation.”

Without further conversation with Mei Ping, Wang Yan walked straight into Jin Hua’s office and knocked.

“Boss Wang, what a rare visit! Haven’t seen you in two years, right? Please, sit.” Jin Hua rose with a smile, poured him a glass of water, placed it before him, then sat back down. “You never come without a reason—I assume this is about Xiao Wang?”

“Just checking the situation.”

“Because she’s being promoted to Section Chief.”

Jin Hua adjusted her glasses. “She could’ve been promoted long ago, but our unit values experience and steadiness. Now, since I’m being transferred and the position is open, she’s next in line.”

You’ve seen our unit—every position is a fixed slot, and the higher the rank, the fewer slots. Her current predicament isn’t surprising. She’s had it too easy—protected by Boss Bao in front and you, Boss Wang, behind. Others don’t have such backing.”

“She’s just a good person, pretty, and pleasant. But she’s always been careless, lacking vigilance. I warned her before something like this would happen.” Wang Yan nodded, smiling. “You mentioned my connection with Boss Bao—do you need me to cooperate with the 27th’s investigation?”

“It’s still an internal investigation. I don’t think we’ll need to trouble you or Boss Bao. I know Xiao Wang well—she’s made some mistakes, but no disciplinary violations. Still, this incident means she won’t get the Section Chief position. Boss Wang, let me be frank: don’t try to help Xiao Wang maneuver further. It’ll only hurt her—and you. You understand, right?”

“Understood.” Wang Yan nodded with a smile. “Jin Ke, can you tell me who’s behind this?”

Jin Hua stayed silent, smiling at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan smiled. “I wouldn’t dare trouble a 27th employee. But Miss Wang once introduced me to a friend—just now, I saw her. Her name is Mei Ping. Because of Miss Wang’s face, I let Mei Ping handle the Hongyun paperwork in South Africa.”

“At the time, I thought Mei Ping wasn’t a good friend—too calculating. I warned Miss Wang to be careful, but she didn’t listen. When I saw her just now, I wondered if I was right.”

“Boss Wang sees people clearly.”

As a superior, Jin Hua couldn’t directly tell Wang Yan the sordid details—even if Wang Yan later learned the truth from Miss Wang, she couldn’t be the one to say it.

But now that Wang Yan had named Mei Ping, Jin Hua had no reason to stay silent—though her words remained carefully chosen.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, stood up, and said, “I’ll leave Hongyun’s affairs in your capable hands, Jin Ke. I won’t disturb you further. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Boss Wang.”

“Please, don’t see me out.”

Though he said not to, Jin Hua still escorted Wang Yan out of the Clothing Section…

Downstairs, he saw Mei Ping waiting by the car.

“Boss Wang.”

“What is it?”

“Boss Wang, Miss Wang’s situation looks bad. I’m also from the 27th—I can handle Hongyun’s business too.”

Wang Yan nodded. “I already told Jin Ke. Whether she handles it directly or recommends someone else, I won’t interfere. The manager at Hongyun makes those arrangements—I rarely get involved. I’m going to see Miss Wang. Goodbye.”

As he spoke, he unlocked the car door and stepped forward to get in.

“Wait.”

Mei Ping hurried to stop him. Meeting Wang Yan’s puzzled gaze, she hesitated, then said, “Boss Wang, Miss Wang’s situation is my fault. I heard from Jin Ke that Miss Wang was being promoted, so I casually mentioned that people were gossiping about her accepting gifts and being too close to you and Boss Bao. I didn’t expect Jin Ke to take it so seriously—she immediately launched an investigation. This is all my fault—I’m sorry to Miss Wang.”

“So that’s why. When I asked Jin Ke, she wouldn’t tell me.”

Wang Yan nodded in realization. “You’re afraid I’ll hear about this from Miss Wang and come after you? I understand. Let me be clear: this isn’t worth my time to target you. Don’t worry. It’s about to rain—go home. Goodbye.”

As he spoke, Wang Yan got in the car and drove off under Mei Ping’s watchful gaze.

As he said, such a small matter didn’t warrant him intervening—like forcing Mei Ping out of the 27th. For a man of his standing to target a lowly section clerk would be beneath him, a loss of dignity.

Besides, someone like Mei Ping won’t last. She reported Miss Wang—Jin Hua, her mentor and Section Chief, won’t favor her. Other colleagues will only pretend to be friendly. Among visiting officials, her reputation is ruined.

Perhaps in the original plot, she leaves the 27th and starts her own business, benefiting from the era’s trends to make money—but real advancement? That’s unlikely…

Miss Wang lay face-down on the table at Paigu Niangao, watching the sudden rain outside. The rain mirrored her miserable mood—pouring, sorrowful.

The shop owner sat bored, engrossed in a novel.

At that moment, the curtain was lifted. The owner looked up automatically, then beamed with warmth: “Boss Wang! Long time no see! Go see Miss Wang—she’s been sitting there for hours.”

Hearing the noise, Miss Wang turned around and met Wang Yan’s smiling eyes. She immediately huffed and buried her face back on the table.

Women are illogical like this. Wang Yan understood why she huffed: he’d been right, she was embarrassed, yet refused to admit it—so she acted out.

Wang Yan smiled, told the owner “the usual,” grabbed two bottles of Qingxin Liangcha and straws, and sat beside Miss Wang.

“I won’t drink. You’re here just to laugh at me.” Miss Wang pushed away the bottle Wang Yan had opened and neatly inserted a straw into, turning her head away.

Wang Yan reached over and turned her head back. “I’m here to comfort you. Here, drink this tea to cool your temper.”

“I have no temper—just deadness.” Miss Wang mumbled, then suddenly slammed the table and sat upright. “Mei Ping—how could I have trusted her? I even called her my best friend at the 27th. But all she wanted was to stop me from becoming Section Chief—she reported me. What a venomous, cruel heart!”

“I’ll tell you—when Boss Bao gave me that pearl earring, she told me to keep it, said to wear it longer before handing it in. But she used it to report me—claimed I had improper relations with you and Boss Bao…”