C14 Don't Force Me to Do It

Tang Xinran leapt to her feet as if she were a cat that had been startled. "How could I possibly still love him? Anyone who can be stolen away doesn't deserve my deep affection!"

Qin Huan observed Tang Xinran with a knowing look. "Oh... really?"

His gaze was detached yet clear, so clear that it seemed to mirror the depths of Tang Xinran's soul...

The stubbornness she had been clinging to in her heart began to show its fragile side in the face of that clarity. Tang Xinran slumped into a corner of the sofa, looking disheartened. "He was my first love. I've been in love with him since high school, tirelessly working towards our future happiness, but he..."

The woman's sorrowful expression somehow made her more approachable than the formidable front she tried to maintain. It stirred an urge in others to draw nearer...

Without thinking, Qin Huan reached out to gently stroke her head, trying to soothe her wounded spirit...

But as soon as he touched her warm hair, he recoiled as if shocked. What was he doing?

Why was he considering comforting this woman who clearly saw him as nothing more than a bargaining chip?

Yet his touch had startled Tang Xinran from her melancholy. She sprang up from the sofa and retreated behind it, "What are you doing? I... I'm warning you! Don't touch me! Just because we have a marriage certificate and I brought you home, doesn't mean you can take advantage of my heartbreak... That idea, we're merely partners. I've already paid you for our arrangement..."

Qin Huan's face flushed with anger.

Damn it! Had he actually felt a twinge of sympathy for this overbearing woman?

Being with this woman of such low intellect must be affecting his own judgment!

She truly had a knack for infuriating him. Qin Huan could have any woman he wanted; it was simply a matter of his own disdain!

He shot Tang Xinran a withering look. "Client A, let's get one thing straight. If we're talking looks, I'm far more attractive than you! It was I who stipulated in the contract that you can't hit me... That idea..."

Still not appeased, Qin Huan gave Tang Xinran a contemptuous once-over. "And what's this act? After years with Jiang Lingyuan, you're hardly the innocent you pretend to be. If I were after... that, I'd be the one at a loss!"

"Who said I haven't had a first time? And who decided that people in love automatically do... that? We're not as wild as you think," Tang Xinran retorted to Qin Huan with the ferocity of an enraged cat.

This man, thinking he's all that just because of his good looks! As if every woman would be so enchanted by him that they'd all want to jump into bed with him... Wait, why am I even discussing this with him? It's as if I'm trying to assert my purity or as though I'm eager to sleep with him.

With her face flushed, Tang Xinran swiftly steered the conversation elsewhere. "Whether or not I've had a first time is none of your business. Just focus on the Project Plan. We're going to rehearse later, and if today's scene doesn't pass muster, you can forget about having any meat for dinner..."

With that, she hurried off to the kitchen to start on the evening meal.

She hadn't had a satisfying lunch and was now back home. While Qin Huan was getting acquainted with the Project Plan, Tang Xinran decided to cook up several dishes, making sure to include plenty of meat. She wasn't convinced that a vegetarian diet alone would be enough to fuel the brain.

This was a critical time. She needed to nourish Qin Huan's scholarly mind to ensure it was sharp and ready to execute their plans successfully.

As Qin Huan watched Tang Xinran tie on her apron, accentuating her slender waist, a flicker of realization crossed his mind.