Journey Towards Greatness - Chapter 1166: Quarter-Finals (2)

The rivers and lakes carry wine with swords, the waist is slender and the palm is light.

The young man carried a long knife on his shoulder, and hung wine on his waist, striding forward, but the rivers and lakes in his heart were vaguely visible.

Turning a page in the book of troubled times, the rivers and lakes have been raining nightly for decades.

Looking back suddenly, the world has been shattered.

- Description from novelbuddy

Xi Nan had loved Cheng Yi for ten years.After graduating from college, she confessed her feelings but faced rejection.Eventually, one went abroad and the other ventured into the entertainment industry.Five years later, Xi Nan became a highly sought-after celebrity in the entertainment circle, and Cheng Yi rose to be the youngest head of the Cheng family, known as a business genius by the media.An arranged marriage contract reconnected them once again.Rumors had always spoken of Cheng Yi, the CEO of Yi Feng Group, as decisive and aloof, a unique figure with almost no romantic scandals, yet he attracted countless admirers.However, the latest news drove all the high-society ladies in Jing City mad.Reports claimed that Cheng Yi was secretly married and had even commissioned a famous international jewelry designer for a priceless engagement ring.One day, as Xi Nan was watching television at home, Cheng Yi called her, asking her to retrieve a document from his study.Finding the document on the desk was easy for Xi Nan.But at the same moment, she discovered Cheng Yi’s secret—a small black box inside a cabinet.It contained a diamond ring, easily seven to eight carats, fittingly described as a 'pigeon's egg'.Xi Nan tried the ring on, and it fit perfectly.In that instant, something deep within seemed to blossom, her eyes swirling with a layer of subtle surprise and bewilderment.

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

"Lu Lijun! what're you doing?"