Ye Ling said.

Luo Yue’s eyes lit up at his words, but a moment later, a troubled look appeared on her face.

WHINE...

’It’s not that I don’t want to tell him, but Ruoruo made me promise not to. This is so hard!’

"Ten days!"

Ye Ling said immediately.

"Fine, ask away. What do you want to know?"

Luo Yue bit her lip.

’Ruoruo, this is for your own good. Please don’t blame me for running my mouth...’

Ye Ling thought for a moment before saying, "With Ruoxi’s background, a minor director from Shengding Group shouldn’t be able to put her in such a tough spot, right? I want to know what the real difficulty is."

Luo Yue sighed. "Actually, this whole thing goes back to when Ruoruo was a kid. You know she comes from a wealthy family, right?"

"Yeah."

Ye Ling nodded.

"Then do you know who her father is?"

Luo Yue asked again.

Ye Ling shook his head.

"Ning Tianliang!"

Luo Yue said a name.

Ye Ling was stunned.

Ning Tianliang!

He was no stranger to that name. In fact, no one in Xia Country was.

Ning Tianliang was one of the top ten billionaires in the country. A self-made man, he had single-handedly founded Ning International, now a top-tier internet enterprise comparable to companies like Ah Li Baba and Penguin!

"It’s actually him..."

Ye Ling’s expression grew grim.

’No wonder Ning Ruoxi had Luo Yue pretend to be my girlfriend earlier,’ he thought. ’If I was really targeted by a tycoon of that caliber, I’d probably be in some serious trouble.’

"Ruoruo’s father always wanted her to major in finance so she could be his successor, but she only loves to paint. I think they had a huge fight about it once. Afterward, Ruoruo made a deal with her father: if she could become a top-tier artist in Xia Country on her own, he would stop trying to control what she studied."

As Luo Yue spoke, a trace of sympathy appeared in her eyes. Coming from a similar background, she could deeply empathize with Ning Ruoxi’s feelings and the challenges she faced.

Moreover, she deeply admired Ning Ruoxi for having the courage to rebel!

"To be honest, I think what you did today was wrong."

Luo Yue’s gaze fell on Ye Ling again.

"Don’t you get it? By beating up Li Xin, you’ve left no room for negotiation. Shengding will definitely make things difficult for Ruoruo. At that point, her only choice will be to ask her father for help. And when that happens, she’ll probably have to leave... and give up the career she loves most."

Luo Yue spoke, her earlier playful tone gone, replaced by utter seriousness.

Ye Ling couldn’t help but sigh.

’He never imagined that while Ning Ruoxi seemed so carefree on the surface, she was actually shouldering so much...’

"She’s... leaving?"

Ye Ling stared blankly out the window, so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice when Luo Yue left.

He hadn’t known Ning Ruoxi for long, but she had already woven herself into the fabric of his life without him even realizing it.

Perhaps it was the timing of her arrival—just when he was at his most vulnerable and most easily moved.

His first love had caused him immense pain, and the special affection Ning Ruoxi showed him was undoubtedly a potent medicine, expertly soothing the wounds in his heart.

And in the process, she had inadvertently entered his heart, like a seed that had taken root and sprouted, all without him being aware of it.

If it weren’t for the events of today, Ye Ling might never have realized that Ning Ruoxi had become so important to him that he couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving.

...

「Night fell.」

Ye Ling couldn’t sleep. It was the first time he’d felt this powerless since acquiring the system.

He owned a mansion, a luxury car, and possessed immense combat strength, yet he was completely helpless when it came to Shengding Group suing Ning Ruoxi for breach of contract.

’System, is there any way for me to obtain power!?’

Ye Ling asked in his heart.

’I have no power, and I desperately need it now!’

"I’m sorry, Host. The system is currently in version 1.0. Rewards can only be obtained via check-ins."

The system’s cold voice replied.

Hearing this, Ye Ling sighed, a hint of helplessness in his gaze.

’So it really is no use, huh?’

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Ye Ling, are you asleep?"

It was Ning Ruoxi.

"Not yet."

Ye Ling replied.

Ning Ruoxi pushed the door open, walked in, and came to Ye Ling’s side.

"What’s wrong? Still worried about what happened today? Can’t sleep?"

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Ye Ling’s lips.

"Yueyue probably told you everything, right...? It’s really no big deal. The worst that can happen is I go back to my dad’s company. It’s just... you have to promise you’ll come find me then, okay?"

Ning Ruoxi blinked, looking at Ye Ling, and faint ripples stirred in her beautiful eyes.

"Don’t worry, I have a plan. Just leave everything to me."

At that moment, Ye Ling made a decision in his heart.

’Ning Ruoxi always puts me first. It’s time I did something for her.’

’So what if there’s a penalty for breaking the contract?’

’Worst comes to worst, I’ll sell the house, I’ll sell the Pagani! I refuse to believe I can’t scrape together enough money!’

With a plan forming in his mind, Ye Ling’s gaze grew even more determined.

Meeting his resolute gaze, Ning Ruoxi felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

"I... I want to sleep in your arms tonight."

Ning Ruoxi’s soft voice drifted over.

Before Ye Ling could even react, a soft, lithe figure slipped into his embrace. Feeling the fragrant, delicate body suddenly in his arms, he instinctively wrapped his own arms around her.

Ning Ruoxi closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly. Her voice was barely a whisper, "Don’t... don’t get any funny ideas, okay?"

Ye Ling whispered close to her ear, "Don’t worry. I’ve got this. Trust me, okay?"

"Okay."

Ning Ruoxi nodded, hugging Ye Ling even tighter.

For some reason, she felt an unconditional trust in Ye Ling at that moment.

It was a strange and profound feeling.

「That night.」

The two of them truly did nothing more than hold each other and sleep.

However, they both slept with a peace of mind they had never experienced before.

It was different from that morning; that had been an accident. This time, their relationship had undoubtedly taken a huge step forward.

...

「The next morning.」

Golden sunlight spilled into the room. Ye Ling woke up, and the first thing he saw was the girl curled up in his arms like a little white rabbit.

She was sleeping soundly, her lips slightly pouted. Even in her dreams, she was just as adorable.

The golden sunlight played in her hair, giving her an ethereal aura, as if she were a celestial fairy who had descended from the heavens.

A gentle smile touched Ye Ling’s lips as he watched her in silence. He didn’t dare move a muscle, not even daring to breathe too heavily, terrified of waking the elfin girl in his arms.

Ye Ling remained in that exact position for nearly an hour before Ning Ruoxi finally began to stir.

Ning Ruoxi’s eyelashes fluttered as her eyes opened, the first thing she saw being the young man’s handsome face. Bathed in the morning sun, he looked even more youthful and vibrant, the smile on his lips bright enough to rival the beauty of a summer day!

"You’re awake?"

Ye Ling smiled slightly, reaching out to gently comb through her long hair.

He loved this feeling. He wished this moment could last forever.

"Mmm, have you been awake long...?" Ning Ruoxi rubbed her eyes. Looking all sleepy, she was just like a lazy kitten—utterly adorable.

"Not really, I just woke up myself," Ye Ling said with a smile.

He didn’t tell her that his arm had gone numb long ago from being under her neck, or that he had held that uncomfortable position for an hour just so he wouldn’t wake her.

"Hee hee, looks like you’re a lazybones too!"

Ning Ruoxi giggled. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Yep, that’s right. A lazybones."

Ye Ling chuckled. Suddenly, he tightened his arm, pulling her a little closer. He whispered into her ear, "So... what does this make us?"