Ye Fan was very satisfied. He was so close to success.

So, he pressed his advantage, determined to breach Su Qingxue’s final line of defense. This time, having checked thoroughly for any potential mishaps, he finally relaxed. Even if Su Qingxue disagreed, he was prepared to force the issue.

At that moment, Su Qingxue grew increasingly nervous, her heart racing. "Wait a moment!" she said to Ye Fan.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Fan asked, feeling triumphant. He was on the verge of breaching her final line of defense. One more step and it would crumble. For Su Qingxue to call a halt now left him utterly puzzled.

Su Qingxue said, "Ye Fan... I’m not ready for this!"

"We... we can’t just stop now!" Ye Fan said helplessly.

"No," Su Qingxue said. "I need something to... to help me relax and get over this fear!"

"What is it?" Ye Fan asked.

Su Qingxue pulled a spray can from under her pillow. The can was labeled as some sort of aphrodisiac spray.

Ye Fan instantly perked up. Su Qingxue is truly one of a kind to think of something like this. In truth, Ye Fan had never used one either, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

"I bought it online!" Su Qingxue said, her cheeks flushed red. After all, it took a lot of courage for a girl to buy something like that.

But to overcome her fear, she decided to give it her all.

"Alright, let’s try it!" Ye Fan said. Easing the tension was for the best, and he was fine with it.

Su Qingxue held the can, and as Ye Fan watched with anticipation, she pressed the button. Then...

"ARGH!"

A scream like a pig being slaughtered tore from Ye Fan’s throat, followed by Su Qingxue’s panicked cries. The atmosphere was bizarre, like a scene right out of a wife-murders-husband plot.

Ye Fan felt as if his eyes were on fire. This was clearly pepper spray! At that moment, he felt truly miserable.

It was so tragic he couldn’t accept it. What happened to the aphrodisiac spray? What was she doing with pepper spray?

"Ye Fan, I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I must have bought a counterfeit!" Su Qingxue frantically apologized.

Ye Fan’s eyes stung unbearably. He quickly stumbled away to wash them out. Looking at his now-swollen eyelids, he had the urge to curse a blue streak.

He didn’t hate Su Qingxue, nor did he hate the seller. Of course, if he ever met the seller, he would absolutely give him a thrashing to teach him a lesson he’d never forget.

Without a doubt, the spray hadn’t just assaulted his eyes; it had also completely torpedoed his plan to conquer Su Qingxue.

***

Ye Fan made his way wretchedly to the living room, his eyes slowly recovering.

"Ye Fan, I’m so sorry," Su Qingxue said. "I never expected this to happen!"

She looked so pitiful and delicate, a stark contrast to her usual icy beauty. The difference was immense.

Initially, Ye Fan had been furious, but seeing Su Qingxue looking so fragile, his anger, no matter how great, simply melted away.

"Forget it," Ye Fan said miserably. "I know you didn’t do it on purpose. But be more careful next time... because that stuff really stings!"

Su Qingxue nodded frantically and hurried back to her room. If anyone were to ask Ye Fan which woman had been within his grasp only to slip away, the answer would undoubtedly be Su Qingxue.

The next day, Ye Fan looked at his eyes in the mirror. They were a sorry sight. He was too embarrassed to go out and meet anyone without wearing sunglasses.

He hadn’t logged into WeChat in several days, and he was in for a shock when he did. His phone was flooded with hundreds of messages, all from different women. Not a single one was from a man.

He opened his chat with Fang Nan and quickly replied, which finally stemmed the tide of notifications. It turned out Fang Nan had been transferred to Shangjing for the past few days.

Then he scrolled down and saw messages from Mu Wanxin.

Seeing Mu Wanxin’s messages, Ye Fan felt a pang of guilt. The reason was simple: she had sent the same message three times. The message history showed that Mu Wanxin had cooked and waited for him to come eat on three separate occasions. Because he hadn’t checked WeChat, he’d missed her messages. Guilt immediately washed over him.

So, he replied, and Mu Wanxin responded in an instant.

They switched to a voice call, and Mu Wanxin asked, "Mr. Ye, are you free today? I’m cooking at home and waiting for you!"

"Okay, I’m free!" Ye Fan quickly responded. He had already missed her invitation three times; he couldn’t possibly refuse her again. Otherwise, the guilt would be unbearable.

Mu Wanxin was thrilled that Ye Fan had finally replied to her.

Ever since returning to Jiangning and changing jobs, she found herself constantly thinking of Ye Fan. Sometimes, she desperately wanted to confess her feelings. But every time she picked up her phone to confess, she lost her nerve and could never go through with it.

Ye Fan soon arrived at the apartment Mu Wanxin was renting.

Her airline had its own apartment building for staff. While not luxurious, it was far from shabby, and the living conditions were genuinely excellent.

It was worth noting that in a bustling metropolis like Jiangning, many people were forced to live in basements because the economy was so overheated. Even with over ten million in assets, you could only afford a house on the urban-rural fringe. As for houses in the city center, you couldn’t touch them without tens of millions. One could say that for someone relying on a salary and a small business, buying a house in Jiangning was more difficult than reaching for the sky.

Today, Mu Wanxin had dressed up with special care. She wore light, elegant makeup and what she considered her prettiest outfit. With her tall figure, she looked stunning in anything.

When Ye Fan arrived, Mu Wanxin rushed to open the door. Seeing him, she felt a surge of joy, realizing just how much she liked him. These feelings were a bit inexplicable, but isn’t that just how love is?

"You look very beautiful today!" Ye Fan smiled at her.

"Do you like it?" Mu Wanxin asked, secretly delighted. Being praised by the man she liked brought her immense joy! She desperately wanted to kiss him.

"Of course I like it!" Ye Fan said.

"Mmm!" Mu Wanxin nodded, then said, "These are from a new recipe I’m developing. Come, try them and tell me what you think!"

Seeing the exquisite dishes, Ye Fan almost drooled. The food looked absolutely beautiful. He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and found that it tasted wonderful. While it still couldn’t compare to his own cooking, Mu Wanxin definitely had the potential to be a great chef.

Why are most chefs men? It’s because men tend to cook with precision, adding just the right amount of every ingredient. Women, however, are different, tending to infuse their moods and feelings into their cooking. That is the fundamental difference.

Seeing Ye Fan enjoy her cooking made Mu Wanxin incredibly happy. If she could cook for Ye Fan like this every day, how wonderful would that be? 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

After they finished and everything was cleaned up, Mu Wanxin and Ye Fan chatted.

She tentatively asked, "Mr. Ye... are you married?"

Ye Fan smiled. "Just call me Ye Fan. And no, I’m not married."

"Mmm!" Mu Wanxin rejoiced internally. He isn’t married! Doesn’t that mean I still have a chance—a big one at that?

After all, in an age where marriage held no guarantees, nothing was set in stone until the wedding, even if he were engaged. One couldn’t call Mu Wanxin underhanded. She was fighting for her own happiness, and there was nothing wrong with that.

"Actually... I..." Mu Wanxin blushed, struggling to get the words out.

"Actually what?" Ye Fan asked. It was obvious she had something to say, but he had no idea what it was or why she was hesitating so much.

Then Mu Wanxin said it, "Actually, I like you!"

When Ye Fan heard this, he was the one left unsettled. Looking at Mu Wanxin’s blushing face, he hadn’t expected happiness to arrive so suddenly. This must be my magnetic personality at work!

Then, he said to Mu Wanxin, "We can’t."

"Why?" Mu Wanxin looked at him, shocked.

"Because I already have a fiancée," Ye Fan said. "And besides, I’m involved with more than one woman."

At that moment, painting himself as a cad seemed like the easiest way out. Of course, this wasn’t really slander, since it was the simple truth.

Suddenly, Mu Wanxin’s heart sank. She had dreamed day and night of being with Ye Fan, only to be met with such an outcome.

For her, it was a devastating blow.