"Go home and pack your bags right now. We’re going to Black Province. It’s colder there than in Beijing City, so bring some warm clothes."

Yun Shu asked in surprise, "Boss, are we going to Black Province for business? Just the two of us?"

He Zichen said nonchalantly, "Who told you we were going for business? I’m going home for a visit."

Yun Shu was stunned. "You’re going home? Then why am I going?" she asked, confused.

"To help me handle my mom."

"What?" Yun Shu thought she must have misheard, staring at He Zichen with wide eyes.

He Zichen glanced at her, then turned and sat back down in his chair.

"I said I’m going home for a visit, and you’re coming with me. Is there a problem?"

Not yet grasping the full implication, Yun Shu just mumbled, "Can I say no?"

He Zichen watched her with a deadpan expression. "No."

Yun Shu’s head drooped in an instant.

"However, if you help me with this, I’ll give you a raise when we get back."

At that, Yun Shu’s eyes instantly brightened.

"I’ll go."

He Zichen nodded. "Alright, go home and pack. Let’s meet at the train station at 1:00 PM."

"Okay." With that, she put down the files and hurried off.

He Zichen’s lips curved into a slight smile as he watched her hurry away.

’He’d figured it out long ago. The girl was a total money-grubber.’

Before leaving, He Zichen went to let He Lang know.

He Lang was just surprised by his sudden decision to return to his hometown.

He Zichen admitted with a sense of resignation, "My mom’s been nagging me to get married. I’m at my wit’s end, so I have to go back and handle it."

He Lang chuckled. "And how are you going to handle it? It’s not like you can just magically produce a girlfriend out of thin air, right?"

He Zichen fell silent, his expression growing a little awkward.

He Lang looked at him. "What’s this? You actually have someone?"

The corner of He Zichen’s mouth twitched as he gave He Lang an awkward smile.

He Lang asked in surprise, "You really do? When did you two get together? How come I haven’t heard anything?"

He Zichen, finding it difficult to answer, quickly stood up. "Third Uncle, it’s getting late. I have to go catch my train. We can talk more when I get back."

And with that, he made a hasty escape.

This only piqued He Lang’s curiosity even more.

"That little rascal... what’s going on? Is finding a girlfriend something he can’t even talk about?"

The next day, He Lang made a point of asking around, but he only heard that He Zichen had taken his secretary on a business trip. There was no mention of any girlfriend.

"What on earth is that kid up to?"

Xue Yue laughed at him. "Some role model you are. Little Chen is his age and still single. I bet your sister-in-law is beside herself nagging him to get married."

’That was true,’ He Lang thought. ’In this day and age, any young man who was handsome, talented, and had a good career but remained single for too long was bound to become the subject of gossip.’

Ever since she’d boarded the train with He Zichen, Yun Shu had a growing feeling that something was off.

Just listen to the instructions her boss gave her.

"When we get to my house, try to say as little as possible. If you don’t know how to answer a question, just smile."

’I’m not an idiot,’ Yun Shu thought. ’What am I supposed to do if someone talks to me? Just stand there smiling like a fool?’

"Besides my mom, there’s my younger brother and his wife—they have a son and a daughter—and another younger brother who’s nineteen. If my mom asks when we started dating, tell her it was last month. For anything else, you’ll have to play it by ear."

Yun Shu was utterly stunned.

She shot to her feet, pointed a trembling finger at He Zichen, and stammered, "You—you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend... to g-go back and lie to your mom? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

He Zichen glanced around, then grabbed her arm and pulled her back into her seat.

He hissed in a low voice, "Lie? What lie? My mom worries about me. I’m just going back to put her mind at ease."

Yun Shu refused outright. "I’m not doing it. I want to get off this train."

He Zichen stared at her. "You don’t want that raise anymore?"

Yun Shu pouted and said sulkily, "I admit I really want the raise, but I have my principles. I can’t lie."

Seeing her fuming, He Zichen asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Yun Shu shot him a sideways glance. "What’s it to you?"

"Hey, you little brat, watch your tone. I’m your boss, you know. Be careful, or I’ll fire you."

Yun Shu paused for a moment before saying in a low voice, "You’re my boss. I only do what’s in my job description."

He Zichen was left speechless. He knew he was putting her in a tough spot. If he hadn’t been so pressed for time and unable to find anyone else suitable, he wouldn’t be forcing her into this.

He hesitated. ’He couldn’t afford to offend this girl right now; he was counting on her to handle his mother back home.’

"Look, you’re already on the train, so I’ll be honest with you. My mom is pressuring me to get married. If I don’t do something, she’s going to take matters into her own hands and storm Beijing City with some girl she picked out. I can’t just forcefully reject her—my mom has had a hard life, and I don’t want to hurt her feelings. That’s why I came up with this plan to bring you home just to pacify her. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything inappropriate. As long as you can make my mom happy, I’ll not only give you a raise when we get back, I’ll also give you an extra 500 yuan out of my own pocket. How about it?"

Yun Shu was still reluctant to lie, but she really, really needed the money.

"One thousand!"

He Zichen stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded. "Deal."

Yun Shu breathed a silent sigh of relief but still asked, a little puzzled,

"Mr. He, your mom means well. So why don’t you find a real girlfriend? With your looks and career, it should be easy, right? Why insist on using me to deceive her? If she finds out the truth one day, she’ll be heartbroken."

He Zichen fell silent for a moment, then met Yun Shu’s earnest gaze.

He turned to look out the window, his voice low. "Not everything in life goes the way you want it to. I don’t want to just find someone and settle for the rest of my life. I’ve always admired the love my third uncle and aunt share. I want to find that one person, too—the one for me, the only one I would ever marry. But in this big, wide world... I haven’t found her yet. I don’t know if I ever will, but I can’t force myself to do it now."

After hearing him speak, Yun Shu suddenly realized how little she truly knew about her boss.

Her previous impression of her boss was of a man dedicated to his work, never in a rush to leave the office, which often meant she had to stay late too. But even though he always wore a stern expression, he rarely gave his subordinates a hard time. All in all, everyone had a good opinion of him.

Yun Shu had heard her colleagues at the hotel gossip about it before—the boss had never had a girlfriend, or even any rumored flings.

He was a true golden bachelor, after all. Plenty of her female colleagues at the hotel had crushes on him, but they all knew it was hopeless and never dared to say anything.

But now, hearing her boss’s confession, Yun Shu felt a pang of sympathy for him.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I can agree to help you. But you can’t force me to do anything I’m not comfortable with."

"Alright."