Yurong felt pressure when it came to Zhang Tianyi because he was not only the chairman of the board but also her senior. However, she felt no significant pressure regarding Zhang Yurong, as she was her close cousin. Still, she knew this was a public setting and couldn't overstep. So, when she saw Yurong and the others approaching, she merely offered a smile.

"Everyone's worked hard!"

"Your report card isn't out yet, so don't relax!"

When Zhang Yurong and Hai Fu arrived, they each said a sentence. Yurong still maintained her usual poker face, though the chill in her demeanor had slightly diminished. Hai Fu, on the other hand, certainly didn't offer a smile. For her, it was already a good gesture not to have an angry face.

Faced with these two who commanded respect without anger, everyone appeared a little on edge. The CEO's remark of appreciation was nervously accepted, while Hai Fu's words clearly hinted at not screwing up the performance of the first movie. It made everyone feel they had to stay informed and perhaps participate in the latest developments of the film's promotion, even after the holidays.

Everyone stood up, and since Li Yan was seated closest to them, seeing that both of them deliberately avoided him, he mischievously stepped forward and said, "We're not tired. We serve the company. It's the CEO who's the one bearing the hardship!"

As he spoke, he extended his hand, intending to shake hands with Zhang Yurong!

This action caught Yurong off guard, and those nearby widened their eyes in disbelief. They silently remarked on his audacity—thinking he dared to attempt a handshake with the CEO!

Zhang Yurong had always maintained an image of 'no men allowed close.' It was rumored that even major clients or officials couldn't hope to shake hands with her. Precisely for this reason, when Wen Qianyi quickly rose through the ranks and became close with her, forming the extraordinary duo, rumors swirled about whether they were a couple.

In such a public venue, if Zhang Yurong adhered to her usual principle, it would come off as impolite; if she didn't, she would be letting Li Yan have his way. The situation immediately sparked a chain reaction—those who saw it drew the attention of those who hadn't, so within one or two seconds, a large part of the crowd was captivated, their hearts filled with reproach, disdain, and even anticipation.

At this moment, Li Yan seemed to no longer be just an individual, but the representative of men. If he succeeded, it would symbolize the triumph of men!

After her surprise, Zhang Yurong quickly realized his mischievous intentions. This guy was deliberately trying to play a prank on her. Further analysis might indicate a male urge to assert dominance in public!

In this setting, under everyone's gaze, sending a silent signal with a glare wasn't possible, leaving Yurong in a bit of a pickle! If it was just a prank, intending to leave her in a bind, ignoring him would suffice, leaving him with nothing. But another reason compelled her—

He is a man too! Clearly, he was her husband, yet others couldn't know this fact, receiving the same treatment as others when outside. Seeking a bit of psychological satisfaction this way was quite understandable. Rejecting him wouldn't just leave him in a bind now—no, now, it wasn't significant since no one believed he could succeed; it could be laughed off, but it would harm his underlying feelings!

The time she took to think drew more eyes her way, and the restaurant fell largely silent, prompting her to make a swift decision before everyone was watching.

She visibly tensed up a bit as she extended her hand, making symbolic contact with Li Yan's hand!

Though it was merely a handshake between the company's female CEO and a subordinate, it left everyone at Heaven's Headquarters seemingly petrified, eyes widened as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing!

When Li Yan felt her fingers touch momentarily, intending to withdraw, he quickly held firm, gently squeezing before releasing his grip.

Zhang Yurong was already feeling anxious and peculiar. To her surprise, the guy not only held on but squeezed lightly, seemingly tickling her palm with his fingers! This sent a shock through her—could anyone have seen it…

Once he let go, she felt slightly drained, unable even to glare at him in complaint, turning her head to the side instead.

At that moment, just as everyone was still processing the image of Li Yan shaking hands with the 'goddess,' before they turned their heads back, they found the audacious fellow reaching out towards Hai Fu!

In an instant, the women's eyes sparkled with excited anticipation; the men felt a chill of foreboding stir within them.

Damn, even if you're a rogue, you must have no fear, but you can't keep up the rogue act! Zhang had given you face, or didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, you should be immensely grateful, kissing your right hand, not washing it for a year, avoiding using it for anything, and yet you dare to provoke Master Extinction?

Even though Master Extinction now bore Zhou Zhiruo's looks, her nature remained unchanged, and even Zhou Zhiruo was as ruthless, if not more so, than Master Extinction!

Brother, congratulations on achieving your dream one moment and heroically sacrificing the next!

...

As everyone secretly grumbled, eagerly anticipating Zhou Zhiruo's showdown with the rogue, Li Yan smiled and said, "Thanks to President Hai for the encouragement. Our first report card will be released starting on Valentine's Day after the new year. We hope President Hai and company colleagues will support us!"

What is the relationship between Hai Fu and Li Yan? He just reached out to Zhang Yurong, knowing he wanted to take advantage of the situation, relying on past meals and New Year's Eve parties at the beach with Zhang Yurong; having done this with Zhang Yurong, he would surely try to shake hands with her too. So she was already mentally prepared.

Whether Li Yan simply wanted to satisfy a man's vanity or to showcase his special relationship with her in public, Hai Fu was happy to cooperate because, for her, it was inconvenient to be openly seen with Li Yan. It was a rare chance for intimate contact with him in a public setting, which she was very much looking forward to.

Therefore, when Li Yan extended his hand, she hesitated only briefly, glanced around left and right, and then reached out and shook his hand.

Out of fear of Hai Fu's notorious reputation, when her gaze swept past, colleagues sitting nearby quickly turned their heads away but were very curious and soon turned back to watch.

As a result, they witnessed an unbelievable scene—Hai Fu actually shook hands with Li Yan!

Though it was just a ceremonial handshake, it was more shocking than Li Yan shaking hands with Zhang Yurong. In their incredulity, they began to wonder—has Hai Fu really changed her temperament, or will she settle scores later?

Regardless, seeing Li Yan shake hands with the company's two most challenging beauties successfully surprised and envied many. The surprise was mainly due to Hai Fu. The present Hai Fu, in everyone's view, was a mature beauty, but her formerly rigid image was so ingrained that no one ever thought of her as a beauty or aspired to her; the envy naturally stemmed from Zhang Yurong's side—everyone envied this situation. Many even regretted not seizing the chance to shake hands with President Zhang, which could make one the envy of others.

The company's female colleagues had another perspective. To them, Li Yan daring to propose a handshake with Zhang Yurong and Hai Fu was an act of courage. Regardless of previous acquaintance or lack thereof, many were now intrigued by him, feeling he had more charm than other male colleagues.

This one-minute incident captured the attention of the vast majority, including those in the know!

Those in the know, aside from the people involved, numbered so few in the entire restaurant that they could be counted on one hand. Yet each had their understanding, and none suspected that Li Yan was romantically involved with both of them!

For instance, Zhang Tianyi, he simply smiled, thinking his son-in-law and daughter were enjoying a public flirtation under the premise of an undisclosed relationship; Jiang Xueyin close by, slightly curled her lips, feeling Li Yan deliberately exploited everyone's ignorance of his relationship with her cousin to have them envy him; after all, she's his wife, so what's the fuss about a handshake? Wen Qianyi also saw it, as she had uncovered Li Yan's relationship with Hai Fu. In her view, Li Yan's move was merely a public flirtation with Hai Fu while throwing Zhang Yurong under the bus...

In fact, even the two involved shared Wen Qianyi's view. Zhang Yurong thought Li Yan initiated a handshake with her—if he didn't shake hands with Hai Fu, it would appear too abrupt, hence the high profile; Hai Fu assumed his goal was to shake hands with her publicly—if he bypassed Zhang Yurong, it would be too obvious, thus a cover-up.

The instigator Li Yan, had already nonchalantly sat down. Under the gaze of countless people who admired, respected, envied, disdained, or looked down upon him, he started eating as if it was just an ordinary event.

The directors, presidents, and other leaders exchanged pleasantries with everyone, and ultimately joined the regular tables without special treatment, holding the same buffet food.

The restaurant atmosphere returned to its lively state; Li Yan's "two handshakes" were like the last piece of gossip before the holiday, causing heated discussions.

Li Yan's modest portion was soon finished, and he went to get more food. Along the way, many known and unknown colleagues greeted him, some even gesturing expressively or giving him thumbs up.

His best buddy, Sun Hui, naturally wouldn't miss out, directly followed him to pick food, and whispered, "You really did it today, old Li! You've got some tricks, ate a leopard's courage today, huh? Dared to challenge the two towering figures of President Zhang and President Hai!"

Li Yan chuckled inwardly; what was that? It's not just President Zhang and President Hai—their 'two towers', I've challenged them successfully too!

However, Sun Hui's next words dampened his proud mood of pulling off a public stunt.

"But what about Wen Qianyi? You didn't just ditch her, did you? Challenging President Zhang and President Hai in front of everyone might not sit well with her!" Li Yan's courage to challenge Zhang Yurong and Hai Fu made the self-proclaimed cowardly Sun Hui admire his manliness but, knowing about the KISS he saw between Li Yan and Wen Qianyi, he didn't want them to quarrel during the holidays.

(There's still a parent-child activity today, need to go to the kindergarten. This is the second chapter I wrote last night; due to being featured on the homepage this week, I scheduled this update for better effect, not updating together. Apologies.) (To be continued, visit www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, support official reading!)