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Since Yurong no longer trusts Zheng Yixuan, Li Yan can't introduce him anymore, as that would only further damage her impression of Zheng Yixuan.

This discussion caused Zhang Yurong's thinking to adjust a bit: since Zheng Yixuan isn't involved in this matter, she can simply ignore him.

The two of them didn't linger much longer, resting in the office for a while, and then left one after the other, driving home separately.

While in the car, Li Yan, feeling a bit embarrassed, dialed Zheng Yixuan's number.

"Third Brother, I'm really sorry, we can't ask you for help with this issue."

Zheng Yixuan didn't mind, laughing, "I told you, Paradise Group will have its own strategy, there's no need to call for external help."

"No, it's just that Yurong doesn't trust you, she thinks you're a frivolous, unreliable friend who can't be counted on. With her being so beautiful, if she sought your help, it would only become more troublesome if you covet or entangle her." Li Yan admitted awkwardly.

Zheng Yixuan started to break out in a cold sweat at his words and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of image have you painted of me?"

"Well... you know your status, and my status. For someone like me to know and have connections with you, I had to concoct a convincing story. I can't exactly reveal our true relationship, can I?"

"So you decided to portray your Third Brother as a lecherous, unreliable friend to make yourself look good?" Zheng Yixuan sneered.

"I didn't actually say that, it's just Yurong was a bit suspicious, asking when and how we met. I could say it's been a long time, but to make it believable, I had to say we met at a nightclub, and that back then we were competing for the attention of a favored hostess."

Listening to Li Yan's words, Zheng Yixuan, feeling unlucky with friends, almost coughed up blood. "Get lost! Competing for a hostess at a nightclub, how did you even come up with that? Why not say we met at a library, an art gallery, a friend's gathering, or even that I was your childhood teacher!"

"Come on! It had to be something she would believe. I said we met at a nightclub, became acquaintances through a disagreement, and since then, you've often treated me to drinks. Considering I used to go out a lot without asking her for money, she believed it." Li Yan smiled wryly.

Zheng Yixuan was speechless. It seemed Li Yan wasn't trying to tarnish his image to make himself look better, but rather, to become publicly associated with him required a willingness to become the villain.

"Fine, I can't help you this time either; you have to rely on yourselves. And don't do anything reckless, this is serious!" Zheng Yixuan cautioned Li Yan, urging him not to act impulsively or resort to force against the lawyer.

"Understood, I have my principles and won't act recklessly."

...

After hanging up, Li Yan watched the night outside, contemplating strategies as he drove. Yurong and the company surely have their plans, but they now face not just a defector but also a powerful rival with official backing.

If Paradise Group loses this battle, it might not be entirely defeated but will be significantly damaged. If the lawyer exposes threatening evidence, even winning in court would still mean losing in public opinion. The attention from the public and media could greatly affect the company's stock price and reputation!

They not only need to deal with a well-prepared enemy but also must be ready for crisis management!

After much thought, Li Yan concluded there was limited action he could take unless he risked using all resources, which wasn't necessary yet. For now, the company should still manage to handle this, though the impact might vary in size.

By the time he got home, it was already nine o'clock. Yue Yao was still waiting; before arriving, Li Yan had already called home, asking Mrs. Liu to heat up the food.

Despite the rich meal, Yurong had little appetite, eating only enough to avoid worrying them, but even that helped her feel better.

After dinner, Yurong rested for a moment before heading upstairs to her office. Tonight, she found it hard to sleep well; with the situation still unfolding, she had to stay vigilant.

Yue Yao inquired what had happened. Li Yan gave a brief explanation about the company's situation and how his suggestion for Zheng Yixuan to help ended up damaging Lao Zheng's image, causing Yue Yao to laugh.

With an understanding of the current situation, Yue Yao suggested, "Go be with her! You may not be able to help much, but your presence is a big encouragement and support for her. She needs you!"

Li Yan nodded. "And you? Should I help you with your medication?"

Since they were home now, there was no nurse to help care for her.

Yue Yao smiled, "No need, I'm fine now. Don't worry about me, I'll head upstairs to rest early too."

...

Li Yan brought a bowl of bird's nest soup cooked by Sister Liu to Yurong's office.

Sitting behind her desk, Yurong couldn't help but laugh when she saw the bowl he was holding, "Did you do something to upset me? Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

Li Yan felt a bit embarrassed and pretended to be angry, "Do you have masochistic tendencies or something? You're very used to me being mean to you, but when I'm nice, you get all suspicious. Drink this!"

Yurong stuck out her tongue slightly, looking a bit troubled, "I can't eat it! Yue Yao is weak, why don't you give it to her?"

Li Yan placed the bowl in front of her, "Even if you can't eat, you have to. You just ate a few bites earlier, and Yue Yao will of course have her share too. If you don't eat, I'll feed you myself!"

"I won't eat..." Yurong was secretly a bit hopeful about him feeding her.

Li Yan indeed picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and brought it to her lips, "As the saying goes, behind every successful man, there's a great woman. I'm not a successful man, but you're a successful woman, so I can only be the great man behind you. I'm your man, and right now when you need help, I can't do much more than take care of you, make you comfortable, and happy. That's all I can do."

"Li Yan..." Yurong opened her mouth to drink the bird's nest soup, her eyes slightly moist. Though his words were plain, they sounded warm to her ears. In a long-lasting male-dominated society, people grew up hearing that men are the backbone of the family while women support from behind. Even Li Yan used to be like that, but now he was willing to take care of her from behind, making her feel his change, his heart, his love!

Love always brings strength to people.

Zhang Yurong was initially exhausted from this matter, but because of Li Yan's act of feeding her soup and his words, her heart was filled with strength. She felt that working until one or two in the morning, or even pulling an all-nighter, was no problem. She also believed he would be there to support her!

But aside from such strength, it also gave her an urge to lean on him.

However, whether it was the former or the latter, she wasn't good at expressing it. The only thing she could do was not disappoint him and eat the bird's nest soup he fed her.

"I really can't eat any more..." After eating most of the bowl, Yurong said softly.

Li Yan looked at the remaining soup in the bowl and smiled, "What if... I feed you?"

"Feeding won't help, I can't eat any more..." Zhang Yurong was a bit confused, Aren't you feeding me right now?

"Hehe, I wasn't feeding you with my mouth just now, I was using the spoon. Next, I'm going to feed you with my mouth! Haha, anyway, bird's nest soup is made from swallows' saliva, a little of my saliva should make it even more nutritious..."

Before Li Yan could finish his sentence, Yurong quickly took the bowl from his hand and finished it herself.

Watching her finish and lick her pink lips with her fragrant tongue, Li Yan really wanted to lean in and wipe her mouth with his own lips, but fearing he might scare her, he instead pulled a tissue from the table and handed it to her.

"Finished!" Yurong gave him a smile, seemingly a bit smug that his mischievous plan didn't succeed.

Li Yan shrugged, "What's the rush? It's not like I'm going to snatch it from you!"

"Humph, afraid of your saliva! Just thinking about it makes me nauseous, I don't want to vomit out all the food I just ate." Yurong pretended to gag.

Li Yan laughed silently.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

"There's definitely something! That laugh looks like a sly grin from having succeeded in your plan!" Yurong waved her pink fist at him.

Seeing that she was showing a completely different side than usual, knowing that she was momentarily forgetting about work, company, and crisis, and was just happy with the playful banter, Li Yan felt satisfied, and intentionally with a mischievous smile said, "Actually, I was going to tell you that I drank a mouthful from this bowl earlier, to taste it and check if it was hot, and burned my tongue. I had to spit it back, and once it's up, it's too much hassle to swallow again. I didn't expect that you would still drink all of it in the end."

"Liar!" Zhang Yurong didn't believe him, knowing he must be saying this to mess with her head. "I don't believe you!"

"Believe it or not, but speaking of which, we've kissed before, a little saliva really doesn't count for much." Li Yan set the bowl aside.

"Stop grossing me out, go rest now!" Yurong changed her tone and spoke seriously, "Thank you! I know you were deliberately trying to make me happy and distract me from my worries. I'm okay now, it's just that tonight I need to monitor things closely, in case they decide to hold a press conference in the middle of the night or something."

(Fourth update, Old Lai hasn't stopped, still pushing for the fifth update! Looking forward to your support!) (To be continued, to know more about what happens next, please log on www.qidian.com, to access more chapters, support the author, and read original content!)

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