What Su Yiyi wanted was his exclusive and unparalleled devotion.

Ji Qingran’s gaze rested on the large, vibrant bouquet of roses sitting on Su Yiyi’s desk.

When Lu Tingyuan’s message came through again, she replied: "You made a typo. The flowers you gave Su Yiyi are very beautiful."

He was likely busy, as his reply was brief: "The young lady likes them."

Ji Qingran did not respond to this, and he lost interest in continuing the conversation. The chat window fell silent once more.

After getting off work that day, Ji Qingran took the bouquet from her desk and threw it into the trash bin outside the company. To her surprise, when she arrived the next day, there was another bouquet on her desk.

Jiang Yao blinked at her, her tone full of gossip: "He’s so attentive to you. Are you two—is there good news on the horizon?"

Ji Qingran told her not to talk nonsense: "Lu Tingyuan didn't send these."

"If not him, then who?"

Ji Qingran shook her head. "I don't know."

She casually tossed the flowers away again.

When leaving work, Su Yiyi came over to ask, "Sister Qingran, have you ever been to that Western restaurant on Yining Road? Is the food any good?"

Ji Qingran was working overtime; she didn't think much of it and replied truthfully, "I haven't been to that place."

Upon hearing this, Su Yiyi looked relieved and delighted, even waving at her in high spirits: "Then I’ll be going now, Sister Qingran. See you tomorrow."

She skipped away, looking as if something wonderful were about to happen.

Soon after, Ji Qingran saw Su Yiyi’s new post on social media. Lu Tingyuan had taken her out for Western food, and the location was tagged on Yining Road.

Ji Qingran thought for a moment and roughly understood the young girl’s intentions. The young girl was possessive and didn't like the idea of the man she fancied taking her to a place where he had taken other women. What Su Yiyi wanted was Lu Tingyuan’s exclusive, singular favor.

In truth, Su Yiyi didn't need to ask her. Ji Qingran had been abroad for years and was already a stranger to Jiangcheng. Even eight years ago, when she was still the eldest daughter of the Ji family, she rarely frequented high-end restaurants in the city.

Ji Wanrou similarly craved the exclusive favor of the Ji parents; whenever the family went out for meals, they never brought her along. The only exception was the engagement banquet between her and Lu Weian.

Ji Huali intended to announce the collaboration between the Ji and Lu families in public. As a tool for the marriage alliance, she was dressed in a gown that Ji Wanrou didn't want, led out like a puppet, and handed over to Lu Weian.

She didn't have many thoughts about this arrangement, but when Lu Weian took her hand, he whispered, "Are you doing this willingly?"

She thought about it and nodded, saying, "If I marry you, my parents will provide a villa as part of my dowry. I can have a home that belongs only to me. So, yes, I am willing."

Unfortunately, the engagement was later transferred to Ji Wanrou, and the Ji family refused to give her anything they had promised—not the villa, nor the shares.

It took her a long time to realize why Lu Weian hadn't minded the change in candidates at all. For men in their circle, there was never a shortage of women; the woman they brought home only needed to be beneficial to the family. As for love and excitement, they could get that from someone else. It didn't matter who they married.

Ji Qingran liked Su Yiyi’s post out of habit. Since the young girl had specifically reminded her to look, how could she let her down?

On her way home, she received a call from Jiang Yao. Jiang Yao’s limited-edition bag had arrived, but she had forgotten to pick it up. Since the store was on Ji Qingran’s route, she asked for a favor.

Ji Qingran didn't expect to run into the "Young Master Li" that Chen Yuru had introduced to her, who was currently with a group of other wealthy heirs. This area was filled with luxury boutiques, and the female companions surrounding the men were laden with shopping bags, chatting animatedly. Young Master Li, however, had tried to interject several times to no avail.

Perhaps realizing he was being sidelined, he felt a bit embarrassed. When he saw Ji Qingran, he forcefully dragged her over.

"Come and say hello to my friends." He reeked of alcohol, his large hand gripping her arm tightly.

Ji Qingran felt the pain and looked at him with an icy expression.

Young Master Li waved a hand grandly. "As long as you serve me well tonight, you can pick anything you want on this street. It’s on me."

His companions whistled, their gazes sweeping over Ji Qingran with unbridled lewdness.

"Young Master Li, this girl is quite the catch. Can you handle her?" someone teased with a laugh, and the others joined in.

Young Master Li slurred, "This is the woman the Ji family gave me. I can make her serve me however I want."

The laughter grew louder.

Ji Qingran raised her hand and slapped Young Master Li. The man, stung by the blow, revealed his true, spoiled nature and made a move to strike her back.

The wealthy heirs watched from the sidelines, jeering and egging Young Master Li on to do something even more provocative.

However, Young Master Li’s fist did not land on Ji Qingran; it landed on Lu Weian’s face.

He had arrived in a hurry, focused only on pulling Ji Qingran behind him for protection, and hadn't been able to dodge the blow. He took it squarely, his lip splitting and bleeding.

Seeing who it was, Young Master Li was stunned, and the other heirs panicked, tripping over their words to explain, none of them daring to offend the Lu family.

Lu Weian ignored their babble. With a cold face, he grabbed Young Master Li by the collar, delivered two punches in return, and threw him to the ground. "She is not someone you can provoke. If I see you harassing her again, I will make sure you are driven out of Jiangcheng. Let’s see if your father can protect you then."

Although Young Master Li was an illegitimate son with no standing in the Li family business, he knew the Li family’s influence was far inferior to the Lu family’s. Not daring to retaliate for the slap, he left in a subservient rush.

Once everyone had gone, Lu Weian turned to Ji Qingran and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. He didn't hit me." She shook her head, her gaze falling on the blood at the corner of his mouth.

She hesitated, then said, "You shouldn't have taken that hit for me. You’re injured; when you get to the company tomorrow, the people at the Lu Group will notice, and Uncle Lu will find out soon enough. If he knows you were hurt because of me, it will cause me a lot of trouble."

Lu Weian stared at her for a long time before suddenly grinning. The movement pulled at the wound, and a little more blood trickled out.

He didn't care at all, instead speaking in a relaxed tone, "You’re not worried about Lu Tingyuan finding out, but you’re worried about my father knowing. Can I interpret this as you not actually caring much about Lu Tingyuan?"

Ji Qingran avoided the question. She looked around and pointed to the pharmacy across the street. "I’m going to buy some antiseptic."

She turned and left, quickly joining the flow of people crossing the street.

Lu Weian watched her retreating figure intently, thinking she looked far too frail. It made his heart ache, and he couldn't help but want to protect her properly.

With this thought in mind, when she returned to treat his wound, he deliberately leaned in close to her, his breath brushing against her face.

In a shop on the street, Lu Tingyuan had just finished paying for a new dress for Su Yiyi and was leading the happy girl out the door.

Looking up, he caught sight of Ji Qingran and Lu Weian together. She was tilting her head to apply antiseptic to the wound on his lip; the two were very close, almost as if they were about to kiss.